The Managing Director (MD) of Auxesia Energy, Faith Odulo Agiroghene, whose company’s accounts were frozen by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) over the ownership of $391,250 – which two others are claiming ownership of – yesterday testified that they ought to have the money.
She told an Accra Financial Court presided over by John Najet-Assam, that Earth Petroleum, from which she bought the fuel and for which the $391,250 cheque was meant, had already cashed the said amount of money and so her company deserved the cheque.
The MD said this under cross-examination by Jubik Mahama, counsel for Solu-shing (UK), one of the parties claiming ownership of the money.
According to Faith Agiroghene, she did not contract Earth Petroleum to import the oil but she bought the oil from the company, and said she dealt with the MD of Earth Petroleum, Christopher Isibor and his representative in Ghana called Ben Antwi.
She also averred that Isibor did not tell her that they chartered a vessel, saying she could not have been privy to whatever that transpired between him (Isibor) and the vessel charterers.
The MD of Auxesia Energy stated that the money being claimed by three parties was withdrawn by the UT Bank without the consent of Auxesia. She alleged that the withdrawal was occasioned by some clandestine moves by Kayode Alade, representing Solu-shing (Nigeria), the second defendant.
In addition, Ms Agiroghene said when she issued the cheque to Isibor, she made it clear that the cash could only be withdrawn after the oil which was shipped from Nigeria to Saltpond, had been discharged.
She further posited that she allowed Isibor to cash the said sum of money after he (Isibor) had told her that he needed to make some financial commitments but she allowed him to withdraw $60,000.
Explaining further, she said that she didn’t know any Jide neither did she know Kayode. Under cross-examination by James Abeaduka, counsel for Solu-shing (Nigeria), Agiroghene said it was on the basis of the Sales Purchase Agreement that she received an invoice from Isibor.
The witness rebutted the submission by Mr. Abeaduka that the documents she signed with Air Petroleum was an afterthought, and maintained that EOCO investigated her account.
The case has been adjourned to today.
At the last hearing the witness said EOCO humiliated them by failing to attend to them for two weeks and made them sit with persons in handcuffs.
She said she did not know about the second defendant, Kayode Alade, who are representing Solu-shing (Nigeria) and Solu-shing (UK).
The MD told the court during her examination in-chief led by Godfred Yeboah-Dame, that she only knew that the vessel that imported the Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO) from Nigeria at their instance was called MV Solu-shing.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is seeking to know why Auxesia Energy, Kolade Alade and Solu-shing (UK) are all claiming ownership of the above-quoted money.
By Fidelia Achama
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