By Yemi Oyeyemi, Abuja
For minutes on end, a Federal High Court stood still on Thursday morning as machines whirred to the counting of $1.3 million cash tendered by the federal government as money recovered from the home of retired Air Commodore Umar Mohammed.
The huge foreign currency was admitted as exhibit after it was counted.
The exhibit was tendered during the continuation of trial of Commodore Mohammed for alleged fraud and money laundering charges brought against him by government.
At the resumed trial, the prosecution counsel, Mr Labaran Magaji, tendered the cash as exhibit along with various other currencies, with an explanation that they were recovered from the defendant.
However, the defence counsel, Dr Hassan Liman SAN, thereafter cross-examined the prosecution witness, Mr Stephen Olatubosun, through whom the exhibit was tendered.
The senior lawyer thereafter nformed the court of his client’s intention to file a no-case submission on the ground that a prima facie case has not been established against him.
Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo after listening to parties in the matter, ordered the Chief Registrar of the federal high court to deposit the foreign currency with the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN, pending conclusion of the trial.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to May 27, for adoption of final addresses by the parties in the no-case submission motion.
The retired Air Chief is facing three counts charge of alleged money laundering, illegal possession of firearms, and classified documents without authority.
He was accused of receiving $1.3 million cash from one Worldwide Consortium PTY Ltd in 2016, through his company Easyjet Airlines, in violation of the Money Laundering Act 2011.