Mohammed Goji, a witness in the ongoing trial of Tahir Abdullahi Garba, a chief accountant in the Pension Office of the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation whose company, Charo Bureau De Change Limited was allegedly used to siphon stolen pension funds, told Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, that a number of fraudulent payments were made into the accused person’s account from the Pension Account.

Leadership reports that Goji, who was led in evidence by counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Egwuagu Emmanuel, told the court that, “our investigation revealed that, fraudulent payments emanating from the office of Head of Service of the Federation known as collective allowances running into the several millions of naira were made into the accused person’s account.”

Goji, who is the third prosecution witness and an EFCC official, through the prosecuting counsel, tendered Exhibit 1D & 1E and Exhibit 4, dated August 31, 2009, which were payment mandates from the office of the HOS in support of his claim.

“My Lord on March 31, 2010, another lodgement was made into Garba’s account with one of the new generation banks in the sum of N4.96m (four million, ninety-six thousand naira) as contained in Exhibit 1D”, Goji further stated.

According to him, the sum of N7.8m (seven million, eight hundred thousand naira) was transferred from the accused person’s account to Zenith Bank on April 3, 2010. He tendered the account opening package obtained from the bank in support of his claim.

Justice Kolawole adjourned the case to July 21 for continuation of hearing.

Garba is being prosecuted by the EFCC alongside his company, Charo Bureau De Change Limited on a 23-count fraud charge to the tune of N514.9m, allegedly stolen from the Pension Account of the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation.