The sacked Managing Director of Bank PHB (now Keystone Bank), Francis Atuche, and his wife, Elizabeth on Tuesday asked Justice Lateefah Okunnu of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja to make an order for immediate provision of security for a witness in the case of alleged stealing of N27.5 billion made against them.
They made the request through their counsel Anthony Idigbe.
Mr Atuche, his wife Elizabeth and the former Chief financial officer of the bank, Ugo Anyanwu were arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for stealing N27.5 billion belonging to the bank.
At the resumed hearing of the matter today, counsel to the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro informed the court that based on the allegation of threat by his witness; he could not present him in court again. He instead asked the court for an adjournment.
At the last sitting of the matter, the prosecution had informed the court that the witness, Bolaji Ogunsola, a former Managing Director of Mortgage Bank PHB (a subsidiary of the bank) was absent over allegations of threat to his life.
They asked for an adjournment then in order to make proper arrangements for his security but today, the prosecution still asked for an adjournment on the premise that they wanted to firm up security details for the witness.
“By the end of this week, we will be meeting up with the EFCC to firm security arrangements.
“I can confirm that once security is provided, our witness will come out of hiding as he is petrified and fearful for his life.
“The witness alleges that persons of Delta extraction threatened his life, saying that they will deal with him the Delta way as he has eaten with lions and they will devour him.
“They even added that they know his children and how to get to them.
“These are the areas the EFCC investigators are trying to unravel,” Mr Pinheiro said.
The threats allegedly came after the witness testified that N45 million were paid from Bank PHB funds as tithes to two churches in Ibusa, Delta state under the instructions of Mr Atuche.
In his reply however, defence counsel, Anthony Idigbe stated that he is completely at a loss with arguments presented by the prosecution as it sounded peculiar that an adjournment is being sought twice to provide security for a witness whose life is allegedly being threatened.
“If the contention is that there is threat to life of witness and till today, there’s no security, then that means there’s no threat or security, so there is no reason for adjournment, he said.
“If no security has been provided and adjournment is being sought to do this, the story is a joke.
“It is strange that security has not been provided for a witness whose life is threatened and that adjournment is needed twice is dumbfounding as we have shown cooperation on this, he added.
The counsel further asked the court to “The court to make a direct order that security be provided and a report given to court so the witness can come to court as he was anxious and ready to cross examine him on the testimony he gave in court.
The hearing of the case continues on Wednesday.