Justice F. Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted a fresh exhibit in the trial of Emmanuella Eteta Ita, the Head of the Stakeholders Unit of the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), and Surestart School Ltd.
The trial within a trial aims to determine the admissibility of Ita’s statement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ita and Surestart School Ltd are facing a 25-count charge related to criminal misappropriation, diversion, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering amounting to N2 billion.
Ita’s counsel, Paul Erokoro, objected to the admissibility of her statement, claiming that it was obtained under duress and without the presence of her counsel.
However, Ita reportedly volunteered her statement to EFCC investigators in the presence of a lawyer from the FIRS.
In his ruling, Justice Ogunbanjo stated that the defense did not prove beyond reasonable doubt that the statement was not voluntary.
He cited Section 15 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, stating that electronic recording of a defendant’s statement was not mandatory, nor was the presence of a defendant’s counsel.
The statement was subsequently admitted in evidence and marked as “Exhibit 25.”
In further testimony, Ijeoma Matilda, an EFCC operative, revealed that funds amounting to N173,346,391.50 were funneled into Surestart School Ltd through System Specs, a Federal Government Remittance payment platform, between 2017 and 2018. Matilda also noted transfers totaling N145,218,000 from Ita’s account to Surestart School Ltd.
Matilda stated that despite Ita’s claims of resigning as the director of Surestart School Ltd, documents from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) established her ownership of the school. Additionally, Ita has refunded about N19.5 million into the EFCC’s account.
The witness further disclosed that over N277 million had entered Ita’s salary account with FIRS, in addition to her allowances for travel and entertainment expenses.
Matilda highlighted an increase in the frequency of money transfers from Ita’s salary account to Surestart School Ltd from February 2016 onwards.
Justice Ogunbanjo adjourned the matter to January 23 and 24, 2024, for further proceedings.
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