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From: Bob Minton <bob@minton.org>
Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 11:30:12 -0400
Organization: The Lisa McPherson Trust, 33 N. Fort Harrison Ave., Clearwater, Florida 33755 Telephone (727) 467-9335, Fax (727) 467-9345
Message-ID: <140jhso5p9vgij9s8ni0bd3k5sfaqspa6h@4ax.com>
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Date: Tue, 9 May 2000 23:26:12 EDT
Confessions of Mohammed Abacha:
How We Stole $700 million "My father gave me $700 million for safe keeping in my house"
PART 4 Q: Is your tab 32 a letter dated 27th August from Inland Bank?
A: That is correct, yes.
Q: To the special investigation panel?
A: That is correct.
Q: It is p.203 of the numbered bundle. If you turn over the page you will see a schedule that has been prepared by the Inland Bank --- A: Yes.
Q: --- identifying payments?
A: Yes.
Q: That went out of the country from Inland Bank to the CBN and then out of the country?
A: That is correct.
Q: Are you familiar with this document. Have you been shown it?
A: No.
Q: What the document does in the left hand column is to identify the date of the payment?
A: Yes.
Q: It then identifies who it is authorised by. In each case it is Mr. Bagudu.
A: Yes.
Q: There is then a source of funds.
A: Yes.
Q: In each case here CBN cash swaps.
A: Yes.
Q: Which are monies deposited, as we understand it, by Mr. Bagudu with Inland Bank.
A: Yes.
Q: They are then delivered to the CBN or transferred to the CBN for transfer out of the country.
A: Yes.
Q: There is then the bank that is the recipient bank of the transfer.
A: Yes.
Q: The first one being ANZ Banking Group.
A: Yes.
Q: And the last column is beneficiary.
A: Correct.
Q: To what extent on transfer by transfer is the identity of the beneficiary discussed between you and Mr. Bagudu?
A: I think from time to time.
Q: From time to time, does that mean all the time or just occasionally?
A: Occasionally.
Q: Do you know who the first beneficiary, Emerging Markets, is?
A: No.
Q: No?
A: I beg your pardon?
Q: You see the first beneficiary is Emerging Markets?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you know who that is?
A: I think it was an arrangement with Mr. Bagudu with the bank. I can’t remember. I can’t recall.
Q: What about the next four to Merrill Lynch Foreign Office?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you know who that is?
A: I remember, Yes.
Q: Sorry, did you say you remember?
A: I remember, yes.
Q: Who is it? What is the company that is there?
A: I can’t remember exactly the name but I know they are companies that were accounts that were opened by myself and Mr. Bagudu.
Q: In what name?
A: I can’t remember exactly.
Q: Opened where?
A: In London, I think.
Q: So these companies are companies --- are they one or more of the seven companies that we have identified earlier as being incorporated in the BVI or other companies?
A: I can’t remember exactly.
Q: Well, were there other companies that you incorporated with Mr. Bagudu?
A: There might be, yes.
Q: There might be?
A: That is correct.
Q: Were there?
A: I beg your pardon?
Q: Were there?
A: I don’t have a specific recollection.
Q: But you think there might be?
A: There might be, yes.
Q: Can you remember any names of any of these companies?
A: Not at the moment.
Q: Navarrio?
A: Yes.
Q: That is your personal account, is it?
A: It was held initially between myself and my late brother.
Q: Why is it going into the Navarrio account and not into one of the accounts that is jointly owned by you and Mr. Bagudu?
A: Yes, sometimes we did send some to some accounts that were held by myself.
Q: Why?
A: It depended. It was basically on discussions with Mr. Atiku Bagudu.
Q: But why? why is there $5 million here going to Navarrio?
A: It’s all part of the transfers.
Q: I can see it is part of the transfers --- A: Yes.
Q: --- but you said earlier that these monies go to the accounts that you and Mr. Bagudu --- companies have accounts --- A: Yes.
Q: --- that you and Mr. Bagudu have joint ownership of?
A: I understand.
Q: Why do we have this payment going to your own account?
A: I think not all of them. Some of them were mine. Some of them --- most of them were jointly owned by myself and Mr. Bagudu.
Q: Yes, but where we have your personal account, why is it being paid into your personal account?
A: It was discussed between myself and Bagudu.
Q: Can you remember the discussion?
A: I can’t remember it, no.
Q: What was the thinking behind putting it into a personal account of yours?
A: It was just --- I think a basic distribution we did in most of the accounts that we had agreed to use.
Q: Distribution in what sense?
A: He did most of the distribution. I just agreed on what we needed to and make adjustments.
Q: Did your father ever ask for any of this money to be paid?
A: I beg your pardon?
Q: Did your father ever ask for any of this money to be paid from your accounts?
A: From my account?
Q: Yes, from your personal account?
A: I would want to believe so, yes.
Q: He did?
A: I believe so, yes.
Q: Did he ask for it to be paid from the joint accounts, effectively, the BVI company accounts?
A: He was not specific. I want to believe he had asked me to pay but not specifically from a particular account. He didn’t know about that.
Q: So from time to time he asks for payments to be made?
A: Not from time to time.
Q: Occasionally?
A: Not occasionally, I think for one specific purpose, once or twice maybe.
Q: What specific purpose?
A: Monies that were paid to Chief Ani and Alhaji Dalhatu.
Q: He asked you to make payments to them, did he?
A: That is correct.
Q: We will come to those later. Were those the only payments that he asked you to make?
A: I would want to believe so.
Q: Do you recall any others?
A: Maybe in time, if they’ve made.
Q: Is this right: during a three year period or thereabout --- A: Yes.
Q: --- he gave you, on your account, some $700 million in cash and he only asked you on two occasions to make any payments in respect of those?
A: I would want to believe so, yes.
Q: When you say you would want to believe so, are you saying yes?
A: I don’t have specific recollection. The recollection I do have is on these two occasions.
Q: But if your father had at any time said: "I want money to be paid for a certain purpose" --- A: Yes.
Q: --- "from these funds" --- A: Yes.
Q: --- you would immediately do so?
A: I would do so.
Q: And you would ask him as to the purpose?
A: I had not asked. I would not.
Q: Can I ask you if you still have this page open?
A: I do.
Q: Goldman Sachs & Co., Zurich, do you know who that is, what account underlines that?
A: I think it is part of some of the accounts we opened in Goldman Sachs bank. I think it is either my account or it is jointly owned between myself and Mr. Bagudu.
Q: What is the name of the account?
A: I can’t remember exactly, it’s been quite some time.
Q: Clifton, do you know what that is a reference to, some five lines from the bottom of the page, six lines?
A: Yes.
Q: What is that?
A: It should be one of the accounts.
Q: One of which accounts?
A: One of the same list of accounts.
Q: Is that a personal account of yours or one that Mr. Bagudu has an interest in?
A: It could be one of it, or it could be one of Bagudu’s.Q: Do you know where that account is, where it is based?
A: I think the same bank, Goldman Sachs --- sorry, Merrill Lynch.
Q: If you go over the page, these are sterling payments?
A: Yes.
Q: Did your father give you sterling in cash?
A: There were, yes.
Q: How much do you recall him giving you in sterling?
A: I can’t remember exactly, but I know the total figures were put in the final figures that were submitted.
Q: If you see some six lines down MM Warburg & Co., Hamburg?
A: Yes.
Q: There are a number of entries for that totalling £50 millions?
A: That is correct.
Q: Which company does that relate to?
A: I can’t remember exactly, but they are companies that were held by either myself and --- I think myself.
Q: Held by yourself?
A: I believe so, yes.
Q: In Hamburg?
A: I believe so, yes.
Q: Can you remember the names of the accounts you held in Hamburg?
A: Not specifically, not now.
Q: How about MM Warburg & Co., Luxembourg?
A: Same thing.
Q: Accounts held by you?
A: That is correct.
Q: In Luxembourg?
A: That is correct.
Q: What has happened to those accounts?
A: They all form part of the monies that were paid back.
Q: I am sorry?
A: They all form part of the monies that were paid back.
Q: The accounts, are they now closed?
A: Yes, they are, they have been closed for some time.
Q: When were they closed?
A: Immediately the payments were made.
Q: I am terribly sorry, Mr. Abacha, you will have to keep your voice up.
A: Immediately the payments were made.
Q: The payments being the repayments to the government?
A: Correct.
Q: In August/September --- A: The repayments, correct.
Q: We will come to that. Can I ask you to go to the next tab. This is a letter dated 29th September from Union Bank --- A: Yes.
Q: --- to the SIP?
A: Yes.
Q: It relates --- do you see just by the second hold punch --- it relates to transactions, the source of which is Mr. Bagudu?
A: Yes.
Q: And that page, the first page, identifies lodgements?
A: Yes.
Q: On the second page it identifies withdrawals and transfers?
A: I understand, yes.
Q: And these are withdrawals and transfers that went the route through Union Bank --- A: That is correct.
Q: --- to the CBN?
A: Yes.
Q: And then the various destinations and beneficiaries abroad?
A: That is correct.
Q: And you see that in the right hand column?
A: Yes.
Q: Each is referred to in the first entry. Do you see that, the last words "Emerging Markets ref Eagle"?
A: Yes, Eagle, correct.
Q: What is Eagle?
A: It’s a company called Eagle Alliance Limited.
Q: What is that company?
A: I think it was one of the first companies that was created between my brother and Mr. Bagudu.
Q: The penultimate entry refers --- if you see it?
A: Yes.
Q: It is $14.6 million going to Hogmanay Limited. What is Hogmanay Limited?
A: It’s --- I think, yes, I remember now, one of the companies that we opened accounts in Merrill Lynch, I think.
Q: So Merrill Lynch --- is that a company owned by you?
A: Maybe by me, maybe jointly by me and Mr. Bagudu.
Q: It is one or the other?
A: Yes, one or the other.
Q: I think your evidence is that in relation to these payments that we have been looking at from Inland Bank and Union Bank --- A: Yes.
Q: --- all of them ended up either in your personal account or in an account, the beneficiaries of which were you and Mr. Bagudu?
A: Yes, that’s correct.
Q: You said in your witness statement that the sums were passed in a transparent manner?
A: I believe so, yes.
Q: What do you mean by that?
A: They were passed through the Central Bank.
Q: What do you mean by saying they were passed in a transparent manner?
A: They were passed through the Central Bank.
Q: What is transparent about that?
A: That is the transparency.
Q: What is the relevance of transparency?
A: Okay, I think the issue that was raised was the mode it was transferred.
If I’d had any other reason behind it it wouldn’t have been transferred the way it was.
Q: Had any other reason than what?
A: The agreement we had with Mr. Bagudu to transfer them through the Central Bank.
Vol. 31, No. 18, May 8, 2000
2000 Newswatch Communications Limited
