A prosecution witness on Tuesday narrated how the sum of $1million and land documents were recovered from former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh.
Badeh is standing trial on a 10-count charge of criminal breach of trust and money laundering of over N3billion alongside Iyalikam Nigeria Ltd, a company believed to be owned by him.
Goji Mohammed, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) testified that in February 2016, Badeh was released from detention after he was arrested for corruption charges, and taken to his residence at No 2 Nelson Mandela Street, Asokoro, Abuja where documents for landed properties were recovered.
Led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) he said based on intelligence report, the operatives swooped on Badeh’s second house at No 6 Ogun River Street, Maitama, Abuja where in the bedroom upstairs, EFCC operatives discovered a pack of kettle filled with 16 bundles of $50, 000 each, and another two sealed bundles of $100, 000 each making a total of $1 million.
He also stated that the investigating team recovered a red box containing a knife which had an encrypted name and two way bills of furniture supplied to the building. When the EFCC counsel sought to tender the exhibits from the second search, defence counsel Lasun Sanusi (SAN) objected to their admissibility on the grounds that since Badeh was not present during the search, the recoveries are a nullity.
Jacobs asked the court to admit the exhibits based on sections 149 and 150 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2016 because the warrant was signed by two witnesses. Justice Okon Abang adjourned the case to February 23 for hearing.
