A Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted in evidence the $61, 400 cash that the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari allegedly offered to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officials as a bribe.
The court admitted the money and 24 packs of cocaine, which the prosecution tendered at Wednesday’s proceedings through its third witness, Peter Joshua, a Chief Superintendent of Narcotics and an Exhibit Officer attached to the FCT Command of the NDLEA.
Led in evidence by Sunday Joseph, the witness said the foreign currency was handed over to him on January 25 after he weighed and conducted preliminary test on wraps of cocaine that were seized from two convicted drug pushers- Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwane- who were linked to Kyari.
Joshua said the money, all in $100 bills, were given to him for safekeeping by the Director of Intelligence and the Deputy Commander-General of Narcotics at the office of the Commander, NDLEA, FCT Command.
After the money, packaged in a transparent bag, was counted in the court, the judge, Justice Emeka Nwite admitted it in evidence and marked it as Exhibit 11, while document containing their serial numbers, was marked as Exhibit 12.
The prosecution also tendered in evidence, 24 packs of cocaine it claimed was handed to NDLEA by the Kyari-led IRT.
The cocaine was brought before the court in two travelling bags. The first bag contained nine packs of cocaine wrapped in white cotton sacks, the second bag, contained three additional packs of cocaine and 12 pellets that were separately tied in nylon bags.
Following a no-objection stance by defence lawyers, Justice Nwite admitted the cocaine sacks in evidence and marked them as exhibits.
The court equally admitted three international passports that were seized from the convicted drug dealers – Umeibe and Ezenwanne.
The NDLEA alleged in the charge that Kyari attempted to bribe its senior officer with $61,400. 00 at a restaurant in Abuja to prevent the testing of part of the cocaine that was seized from the two arrested drug pushers.
The NDLEA also alleged that the IRT under Kyari, tampered with the quantity of cocaine recovered from Umeibe and Ezenwanne.
The court has fixed ruling for August 30 for ruling on the fresh bail application filed by Kyari and his four co-defendants.
Justice Nwite chose the date after entertaining arguments from lawyers to parties on Wednesday.