……He stated that upon noticing the unusual deposits, he reached out to his account officer, who explained that the transactions were intended to “enhance his account status” to assist with travel requirements.
The trial of former Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, continued at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, with the tenth prosecution witness (PW10), Udochukwu Okparache, testifying about N860 million deposited into his company’s account by the Anambra State government. Okparache, a general contractor and owner of Youdooh Ventures Limited, told Justice Inyang Ekwo that he was unaware of the deposits until he was questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in April 2023. He explained that upon noticing the unusual transactions, he contacted his account officer, who explained that the deposits were made to “boost his account status” for travel purposes.
Okparache further revealed that the N860 million that flowed through his account was linked to several beneficiaries, including Cherish Ventures Limited, Easy Demands Limited, and Chief Mrs. Eberechi Willie Obiano, the wife of the defendant. He stated that although he was aware of the funds being deposited into his account via Manager’s cheques, he did not understand the full nature of the transactions. He emphasized that he had never bid for any contract with the Anambra State government.
During cross-examination by defense counsel Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, Okparache admitted that he did not report the deposits to the bank because he believed they would help his financial status. However, he denied having any personal relationship with Willie Obiano and could not confirm if the former governor authorized the payments.
The trial, in which Obiano faces nine charges of embezzlement and money laundering totaling N4 billion, was adjourned to May 26, 27, and 28, 2025. The EFCC had earlier called PW9, Andrew Ali, who testified that three out of the 23 companies involved in the alleged fraud were not licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to operate bureau de change businesses.