LAGOS — An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, operative and witness in the on-going trial of former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Raymond Omatseye, Mr Ibrahim Ahmed, yesterday, told a Federal High Court, Lagos, that Omatseye did not benefit from contract awarded for the purchase of office equipment for the agency.

The witness also admitted that the former NIMASA boss did not originate the requests for the purchase of the equipment nor did he take part in their procurement.

Omatseye is standing trial for alleged contract splitting.

Also, another witness, Mr Bulama Jarma, Director, Shipping Development, NIMASA, told the court that that due process of procurement was observed in the award of the contracts.

Ahmed, who said he took part in investigating the allegation against Omatseye, under cross-examination, said though investigators established the award of contracts under Omatseye’s leadership, they could not link the accused with any of the benefiting companies, even after a search at the Corporate Affairs Commission.

He admitted that though the tender for the contracts were advertised in-house, on the company’s notice board, none of the said tenders originated from the then Director-General personally as the requests for the items for which the contracts were awarded were not from the DG’s office.

Jarma, who was led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, admitted that  300,000 pounds were moved between two NIMASA’s accounts in Backley’s Banks in London, adding that the movement was approved by Omatseye to be used to support the candidacy of a Nigerian, Mrs. Mbanefo, who was contesting for the Secretary General of International Maritime Organisation, IMO, then.

Jarma said although the request for support for Mrs. Mbanefo came from the then Nigerian Representative in IMO, Williams Azu, there was no evidence that Omatseye benefited personally from the money.

He denied prosecution’s suggestion that such movement of funds required ministerial approval, adding  that to his knowledge, only 26,000 pounds were expended from the entire amount.