The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) refutes claims of offering leniency to former Accountant General, Ahmed Idris, in exchange for implicating former Minister of Finance and others in the N109 billion fraud case.
A detective with the EFCC, Mahmud Tukur, dismissed assertions made by Idris in court, stating that there was no promise of leniency made by the commission.
Idris had alleged that the EFCC deceived him into admitting to allegations against him, claiming they sought his cooperation to implicate high-profile individuals.
The trial, involving Idris and three others, centers on 14 charges of embezzlement and breach of trust amounting to N109.5 billion.
During the trial-within-trial, Tukur affirmed that all 13 statements attributed to Idris were voluntarily made, with legal counsel present during interviews.
He clarified that two of these statements were willingly provided by Idris without legal representation, emphasizing the transparency of the process.
Under cross-examination, Tukur outlined the standard procedure employed by the EFCC for obtaining statements from suspects.
Despite admitting to not sending an official invitation letter to Idris for his second statement, Tukur maintained the integrity of the process.
Addressing accusations of offering Idris a soft landing, Tukur vehemently denied such claims, labeling them as baseless falsehoods.
The trial judge, Justice Yusuf Halilu, adjourned proceedings until May 15 for further examination of the trial-within-trial.
