How Justice Ngwuta was able to acquire, use 2 different diplomatic passports –Immigration staff

The Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice John Tsoho was on Friday told by a prosecution witness, Tanko Kutana, how a Justice of the Supreme Court, Sylvester Ngwuta, obtained two diplomatic passports and made use of both interchangeably.

According to Kutana, an officer of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Justice Ngwuta acquired the passports through “misinformation” a protocol officer of the apex court, one Mrs. L. Nwakwo, gave to the service.

Kutana said that Nwakwo was “directed” to come to NIS and claim that Justice Ngwuta had lost his first diplomatic passport and was issued a new one.

The prosecution witness however told the court that the claim by Nwakwo, which was contained on a letterhead of the Supreme Court, was later found to be false, adding that the false claim was “confirmed” by Justice Ngwuta’s conduct by allegedly using the two passports after the first was declared lost and a new one issued.

Kutana said heworked at the Document Fraud Unit, a forensic investigative arm of the NIS, Abuja before he was redeployed to the Benue State Command of the service.

Ngwuta is facing a 13-count charge of money laundering and passport-related fraud leveled against him by the Federal Government.

Earlier on March 17, 2017, Kutana had also testified testified before the court that apart from Ngwuta’s two valid diplomatic passports, that it was also uncovered that the Justice of the apex court has two Nigerian standard passports with valid United States of America’s visas.

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While the two diplomatic passports were issued to the defendant in 2014 and 2016, the two standard passports were issued in 2012 and 2016. They were allegedly recovered from the judge’s home when the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) raided it between October 7 and 8, 2016.

According to Kutana, a forensic examination of the four passports began after the said passports were handed over to him by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

He had earlier concluded his testimony with cross-examination by the defence team, led by Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN).
The presiding judge, Justice Tsoho, adjourned the matter till October 20, for further trial.

 

 

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