Badeh: I Didn’t Document Financial Transactions – Witness

A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Marshal Alex Badeh, yesterday told the Federal High Court that there was no written document as to the financial transactions he was instructed to carry out. The Federal Government is prosecuting Badeh and his company over alleged diversion of N3.9 billion belonging to the Nigerian Air Force.

At the resumed trial yesterday, the witness, a former Director of Finance and Account of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Aliyu Yushau (rtd) told the court, under cross examination, that even though he was aware of the financial regulation for public service which stipulates that all expenses should be documented, he could not request for documentary authorisation because things operate differently in the military.

“When a request for expenditure is made through the Chief of Air Staff, it has to be in writing, but if the Chief of Air Staff is making a request for expenditure, he does not put it in writing.

“If the Chief of Air Staff asked me to buy a N50 million car for his friend, he does not need to write and I will not question his request because he is the chief accounting officer. That is how we operate in the military.

“It has been so throughout the period I worked as Director of Finance and Accounts at NAF,” he added. On whether the account of the NAF was usually audited by the Auditor General of the Federation annually, he told the court that the Chief of Air Staff, as the chief accounting officer, does not need to justify his request for funds.

The witness had also admitted to owing properties in three states and that some of the property had been marked for investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Yushua, however, told the court that he bought some of the property with housing loans. “The house at No 8b, Danube Street, Wuse 2, where I live has been marked for investigation. “I have a car park which I purchased in 2002 when I returned from America.

Then, I have my house at N0 5c, Sultan Close, Kaduna. That is where my family live. It was purchased through federal housing loan. I have two uncompleted houses in Kaduna – one is at Tafawa Balewa way, the other one is at Ibrahim Biu Road.

The proceeds from the sale of my office at Wuye, Abuja, were used to buy the two plots of land that I started developing,” he stated.

When asked the value of the house in Wuye, Yushau stated that as at the time he bought the property, it was N45 million in early 2010 and that he sold it for N320 million in 2015. He admitted that the buyer paid him through bank transfer.

At this point, the prosecution counsel prayed the court that the witness be given his statement to go through in order to refresh his memory on the new line of questioning. However, the trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, adjourned till today for continuation of trial.