We did not investigate Saraki’s assets declaration before dragging him to court – Witness

A prosecution witness and investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Michawl Wetkas, on Wednesday admitted before the Code of Conduct Tribunal that the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was not investigated on assets declaration before be was brought for trial.
The witness told the Justice Danladi Umar-led tribunal that Saraki was only investigated through his bank account for money laundering.
Wetkas, who was cross examined by Saraki’s counsel, Paul Usoro (SAN), also told the tribunal although Saraki was

charged with operating of foreign accounts but that the EFCC never had the opening package and financial statement of the alleged foreign account.
At the resumption of the trial on Wednesday, the witness also said although he led the team that investigated Saraki, he, however, admitted that he never met Saraki for interrogation or obtained any statement from him.
Specifically, Wetkas was cross examined based on count 11 of the charge, which bothers on foreign account operation when Saraki was the governor of Kwara State.
He admitted the count does not bother on asset declaration but money laundering.
Answering questions on the alleged transfer of funds into foreign account by Saraki, the witness said some documents and telex relating to the transfer of funds from Saraki’s GTB account to foreign banks were burnt.
He further told the tribunal that the bank swore to an affidavit and obtained a police statement that there was an inferno and part of the documents burnt were Saraki’s relating to the foreign transfer.
He further told the tribunal that the bank told him there was a fire, but quickly recounted that he would not want to commit himself as to whether there was a fire or otherwise.
Wetkas however said he believed that there was fire incident and the burnt documents formed part of the documents which the bank swore an affidavit to.
When he was however asked to show the tribunal a copy of the affidavit, Wetkas said he could not find it.
When asked which bank issued the foreign account to the defendant, he responded that it was American Express Bank, New York and that it is an existing bank.
He however admitted that he did not find out the country of incorporation but he knew that the bank existed through open source information.
Cross examined further, the witness admitted that the name of the beneficiary bank in the document he submitted to the tribunal upon his investigation was different from the bank he mentioned under cross examination.
The document to the tribunal had indicated Standard Chartered Bank, New York and not American Express Bank, New York as earlier testified as the beneficiary.
He however informed the tribunal that the two banks are agents, but when asked to show from the face of the document where it was written that the banks were agents, the witness said he could not find such.
He added that he is not an expert when it comes to banking issue and as such he will not be able to some questions in details on the financial transaction of Saraki and the foreign banks.
Asked whether he investigated the American Express Bank, New York in the cause of his investigation, Wetkas responded that he only investigated the card account.
When asked whether he knew the functions of a debit card, he kept mute and later admitted that he is not a banker and will not know the functions of the card.
When asked whether he has a debit card, he responded that he only has an ATM card.