$6bn Mambilla saga: Court adjourns Agunloye’s trial to October 21

A federal high court in Abuja has adjourned the trial of Olu Agunloye, former minister of power and steel, to October 21.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Agunloye over a $6 billion Mambilla hydropower contract.

The anti-graft agency said it traced some suspicious payments made by Sunrise Power and Transmission Ltd., a private firm, to Agunloye’s bank accounts.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo also challenged Agunloye to tell Nigerians where he derived the authority to award a $6 billion contract to Sunrise for the Mambilla hydropower project in 2003.

On January 11, EFCC arraigned Agunloye on a seven-count charge bordering on fraudulent award of contracts and official corruption. He was granted N50 million in bail.

At the resumed trial on Monday, Adewale Agunbiade, a former compliance officer with Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), told the court how the former minister received N5.2 million from Jide Sotirin, a staff member of Sunrise Power and Transmission Ltd, in multiple transfers and through automated teller machine (ATM) withdrawals.

Led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo, EFCC counsel, Agunbiade said the bank received a letter from the anti-graft agency sometime in October 2022 requesting some information on the account of Agunloye and that of Sotinri.

“…On the 10th of September 2019, there were six transactions. The last five transactions were ATM cash withdrawals of N30,000 each,” the witness said.

“The last transaction on 10 August 2019 was a transfer of N3,600,000 from Sotirin Jide Abiodun to Olu Agunloye.

“As of October 22, 2019, a record of N500,000 was transferred from Sotirin Jide Abiodun to Olu Agunloye.

“On November 13, 2019, a record of N1,121,000 from Leno in favour of Agunloye Olu from Jide Sotirin.”