EFCC Closes Case against Air Vice Marshall Tony Omenyi over N136 million arms deal

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on April 17, 2018 closed its case againstAir Vice Marshall Tony Omenyi(retd), who is standingtrial for allegedly diverting overN136 million meant for the purchase of arms by the military.

Omenyi is being prosecuted along with Huzee Nigeria Limited, on an amended three-count charge preferred againsthim by the EFCC.The prosecuting counsel, M.S.Abubakar on January 22, 2018presented its fifth witness, GojiMohammed, an EFCC operative, who told the court that in the course of investigating the arms deal scandal, suspicious transactions were linked to Omenyi and Huzee Nigeria Limited.He said:

“We discovered that Huzee Nigeria Limited was incorporated by the first defendant and maintained a corporate account with FCMB in which he was a co-signatory. “We also discovered payment made to Sky experts by NAF and in most cases you will see a corresponding payment to Huzee Nigeria Limited.”

He further revealed that analyses of documents from the NigeriaAir Force, NAF and the Corporate Affairs Commission,CAC, in response to requests made to them in the course of investigations, indicated that “in 2013 NAF awarded contracts to Cyrus Technologywith contract sum of N1.2 billion”.

The proceedings continued today, with the cross-examination of Mohammed by the defence counsel, Goddy Uche, SAN.While being cross-examined, Mohammed noted that Omenyi was not a member of the procurement planning committee of NAF, “but he attended the meeting and the recommendation for the awardof the contract was based on his presentation”. Uche, then asked the witness, whether in the course of investigations, EFCC took statements of o the ne Adeogwu Onyeka, a staff of FCMB and the account officer of Sky Experts Nigeria Limited.However, Abubakar raised an objection, arguing that: “this procedure is strange to me; I have not seen the document and the witness is not the maker of the statement”. Subsequently, Justice NnamdiDimg alt='?EFCC?Closes Case against Air Vice Marshall Tony Omenyi?over N136 million arms deal' class='img-responsive text-center' style='margin: auto;'ba adjourned further hearing to June 20 and 21, 2018 when the defendant is expected to open its defence.