The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled October 16, 2025, to rule on whether the Managing Director of SunTrust Bank, Halima Buba, can cross-examine an EFCC witness on issues raised during his earlier testimony.
Newsonspot reports that Justice Emeka Nwite made the decision after EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), objected to a question posed by Johnson Usman (SAN), counsel to Buba, during cross-examination of the first prosecution witness, Suleiman Ciroma, owner of Funnacle BDC Ltd.
Usman had asked Ciroma to confirm the names of those who collected U.S. dollars from Mrs. Aisha Achimugu, Managing Director of Oceangate Engineering Oil and Gas Ltd. He also sought clarification about Hassan Dantani, MD/CEO of Ashrap Energy Oil Ltd, and Trimisi Mohammed Usman, director of Triple A and D Nig Ltd – both of whom Ciroma affirmed had collected the funds involved.
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Oyedepo, however, objected to the line of questioning, arguing that it introduced “irrelevant facts” not connected to the charge before the court, which focused specifically on transactions by Ashrap Energy Oil Services Ltd. He maintained that introducing another company, Ashrap BDC, could mislead the court.
In response, Usman argued that cross-examination was not limited to issues mentioned during direct testimony, citing Sections 215(2) and 223 of the Evidence Act. He maintained that his questions were based on the witness’s earlier statements and were necessary for the defense.
Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until October 16 and 17 for ruling and continuation of the trial.
Buba and her co-defendant, Innocent Mbagwu, Executive Director and Chief Compliance Officer of SunTrust Bank, are facing six counts of money laundering involving $12 million. The EFCC alleges that the pair facilitated high-value cash transactions without passing them through financial institutions – an offense under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendants, who pleaded not guilty, were earlier granted N100 million bail each, with one surety in like sum.
