In set above are two learned senior advocates of Nigeria, SANs: Mr. Edwin Anikwem, (left) counsel to Genting International Company Limited, (the 4th defendant), and Mr. Clement Onwuenwunor, counsel to the second defendant, Engr. Friday Audu…….. after the court session on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.

By Ibeawuchi Uwaleke, (Advocatenewsng.com), 09064186047.

A Bureau De Change operator and the second prosecution witness procured by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Alhassan Garba in the N3.4 billion money laundering charge preferred against two Chinese and a Nigerian, admitted on Tuesday July 8, 2025 that he is still owing $90,000 USD to Mr. Huang Haoyu, (Aka Ken), one of the two Chinese standing trial at a Federal High Court, Ikoyi Lagos.

The witness equally exonerated the Nigerian charged along with the Chinese, Engineer Friday Audu for being part of the WhatsApp group he was relating with in the transaction of USDTN Crypto Currency Wallet from where he made several transfers to a company, Genting International Company Limited, also accused in the money laundering case.

Mr. Garba was led in evidence by counsel to Audu, Mr. Clement Onwuenwunor, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN who took on the witness in a cross examination to ascertain how he knew Audu and how his client, the second defendant, was robed in a case of dealing in Crypto Currency Wallet transaction he knew nothing about.

When Mr. Onwuenwunor SAN, asked Alhassan whether he still stands by the statement he made to EFCC implicating Audu as the person who told him what to say at EFCC and what not to say, as well as introducing him to one Mr. Sen, a Chinese, who is now at large, he claimed that he still stands by his statement, but however affirmed that Audu was not one of the people who he was dealing with in Crypto Currency transaction and also said it was not Audu that introduced him to Mr. Sen.

He gave the name of the person who was sending him the Dollars he was changing into Naira and transferring to Genting International Company Limited bank account with Union Bank as Huang Haoyu, Aka, Ken, the first defendant in the suit. He equally now accepted, under further cross examination, that it was not Friday Audu, the second defendant, who introduced him to Mr. Sen, but instead it was Mr. Ken who he had personal contact with.

When the learned Silk put it to him that all the statements he made to EFCC were all lies as he was now contradicting himself from the statements after he requested the Registrar of the court to bring the statements from the court’s record and showed them to the witness, he stammered the answer in response and claimed that what he was saying was the truth.

Under further cross examination on how he knew Mr. Sen whom he has been doing business with for quite some time, he denied knowing Sen, but admitted that it was only in August 2024 that he transacted business in Crypto Currency with Mr. Sen, adding that all other times it was Mr. Ken who transacted business with him in Dollars.

On the $90,000 USD he is still owing Mr. Ken, one of the accused persons, and why he did not state the amount in his statement to EFCC, as he was pressured by counsel to Audu, Mr. Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN, Alhassan said he did not remember to include the amount in his statement, but admitted that the $90,000 USD was the exact amount which got stuck in transmission during the transaction, which he agreed till date, has not been reversed.

When asked further by Onwuenwunor SAN, whether the WhatsApp group he was transacting USDTN with, Audu was a member of the group, Mr. Garba answered emphatically no, adding that the second accused was not part of the Dollar transactions, but was aware when the Naira equivalent was transferred to the Genting International Company Limited bank account, a company he facilitated its registration for Ken with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, as sports betting concern.

Asked whether his business in dealing in Crypto Currency and in Dollar exchange transactions is genuine and registered with the relevant authorities, Alhassan said: “I work with Hugo Vice Bureau De Change as a staff, I am not the owner. I have been in the business for over 10 years now.

“Our Bureau De Change is registered to transact business in foreign exchange and we have the certificate. We also have Schmo certificates to deal in Crypto digital currency. All the certificates are still valid. All these certificates we also submitted to EFCC when we were requested to present them there.”

On the transfer that was made on September 4, 2024, of a certain amount to Genting International Company account, Alhassan claimed that he was not the one that made the transfer, adding that the Crypto Wallet Account he used to receive the Dollar transfers or made transfers with did not belong to him, but to one Jonathan Ifesinachi.

Mr. Edwin Anikwem, SAN, counsel to the company, Genting International company Limited, stepped in immediately after Mr. Onwuenwunor SAN concluded his cross examination on behalf of the second defendant, and after reviewing the whole charge on the money laundering case, asked Alhassan whether all the Dollars he received from the Crypto Currency Wallet account and converted into Naira equivalent which he transferred into Genting company account was reported one way or the other as an illegal money or money laundered into Genting International Company account as being alleged by the prosecution. His answer was an emphatically ‘no’. “There was no such thing, and all the money I converted and transferred into Genting account are not illegal money, that I know”.

The cross examination on Alhassan Garba continues on Thursday, July 17, 2025 when the court sitting before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Lagos division adjourned the matter to give opportunity to Mr. Adeniyi Joshua, counsel to the third defendant, Mr. An Hongxa, a Chinese, who was not in court at the last adjourned date, to take his turn to cross examine the second prosecution witness.

At the court on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 also was Mr. Emeka Okpoko, SAN, counsel to the first defendant, Mr. Haoyu, a Chinese, leading another senior lawyer, Mr. Nnaemeka Amaechina and they took their turn to cross examine the second prosecution witness, Alhassan on July 1, 2025.