“I was trying to help a friend. I lied to help a friend at the time. But when the lawyer asked me, I went back to say the truth based on my conscience."The N2.2billion fraud trial of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose progressed on Wednesday with the prosecution fielding four additional witnesses.
While being led in evidence by Rotimi Jacobs , the prosecuting counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , Mechleb told the court that he had done various jobs for both the Nigerian government and some states, including Ekiti State. He said he executed jobs for Ekiti State in 2006, 2014, 2015 and 2016 when Fayose was governor of the state.
The Lebanese, who told the court that he could neither write nor read English language fluently, said the scope of the contracts was usually communicated verbally. The Lebanese was asked by Jacobs if he knew of a company, JJ Technical Services Limited, to which he replied that the firm belongs to his younger brother and brother-in-law, Maroun Mechleb and Joseph Mechleb, respectively.
The Lebanese said Agbele instructed him to tell the EFCC that he owned the property, which he said he told the EFCC while dictating his statement on July 28, 2016. He said when he left the interrogation room, he told his lawyer who was with him that what he told the EFCC was not the truth, rather what Agbele instructed him to tell the anti-graft agency. Mechleb said his lawyer was angry with him and told him to go back and tell the anti-graft agency the truth.
As then sitting Governor of Ekiti Sate, Fayose's popular refrain was : I have no apologies for this and that! How far?
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