By Innocent Anaba

LAGOS—Former Managing Director of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Raymond Omatseye, yesterday, insisted that the contract awarded by the agency under his leadership was within the threshold allowed by NIMASA Act.

Omatseye, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on an amended 27-counts charge of contract splitting and bid rigging to the tune of N1.5 billion before a Federal High Court, denied suggestion by the prosecuting counsel, Mr Godwin Obla, SAN, that the contracts contained in exhibit PD16 A-Y, were above the threshold.

The case is before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia.

Omatseye had in his evidence-in-chief, told the court that he was being persecuted for refusing to withdraw a case by NIMASA against the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, as ordered by the immediate past Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammad Adoke, SAN.

At continuation of cross-examination, yesterday, prosecution had referred the former NIMASA DG to his statement to the EFCC marked exhibit PD1; the Procurement Act marked exhibit PD5 and LPOs marked exhibit PD16 A-Y.

Suggesting to Omatseye, during cross-examination that the LPOS in  PD16 A-Y failed the state other works to be done other that the supply of items, the accused said some other documents were missing from the documents in exhibit PD16 A-Y.

Omatseye, who responded to the question posed to him by the prosecution, pointed out that his signature has to be on every file document brought to him for approval.

Insisting that some documents in exhibit PD16A-Y, before the court were missing, the former DG told the court for a file to be complete, his signature has to be on that file six times. “My Lord, I had mentioned in my earlier statement that for a file