N789.6m Subsidy Scam: No Trace Of Rocky & Downstream Energy Vessel - Witness

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, April 09, (THEWILL) -  A witness in the on-going trial of Rocky Energy Limited and four others implicated in a N789.

6million subsidy scam Tuesday told a Lagos State High court presided over by Justice Lateefa Okunnu how the mother vessel allegedly used by the accused persons to import fuel into the country could not be found on the Lloyds listing.

At the resumed hearing of the case Tuesday, Tolulola Olanubi, an investigator with the EFCC told the court that her main duties involved monitoring and tracking of vessels through Lloyd's database.

This entails monitoring vessels offshore all over the world.

  She went further to tell the court that on searching for the vessels' names on the documents submitted by the defendants,  via Lloyds listing,  the mother vessel MT La Katherine could not be found.

The report taken from Lloyd's database was tendered by prosecuting Counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN and admitted as exhibits E44 and E44A.

The testimony came as EFCC presented 26 amended charges against the defendants.

Rocky Energy Limited; Downstream Energy Resources Limited, Alhaji Adamu Aliyu Maula, Goerge Ogbonna and Emmanuel Morah were initially arraigned before the court on a 25-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain property by false pretence, forgery and uttering.

Abubakar Samusideen, counsel to the first and second defendants and other defence counsel did not object to the presentation of the charges.

The 26 count charges were read and all the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Samusideen prayed that his clients be allowed to continue with the previous bail conditions already given by court.

Counsel to third and fifth defendants, A.
Ubena and counsel to the fourth defendant, Professor A.

B Kasimu (SAN) aligned with the position Samusideen.

Justice Okunnu granted the applications bail in the terms already prescribed by court.

Justice Okunnu adjourned the matter till June 10 and 11, 2014.