EFCC Witness Testifies Against Chinese National Over Alleged ₦700M Fraud

A prosecution witness with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Bukar Mustapha Kiri, on Monday testified in the ongoing trial of Chinese national Zhengjia Jin, accused of defrauding his employer, Golden Diamond Industrial Manufacturing Company Limited, of hundreds of millions of naira.

Kiri, an Assistant Superintendent and the sixth prosecution witness (PW6), appeared before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, detailing how Jin allegedly engaged in kickbacks, inflated invoices, and diversion of company funds for personal gain.

Led in evidence by counsel Chioma Chineye, Kiri explained that the EFCC received a petition dated August 12, 2024, from Frank Inibie, acting on behalf of Golden Diamond, accusing Jin and another staff member of fraud exceeding ₦700 million.

The witness said the petition claimed that Jin colluded with vendors to divert company payments into his personal and third-party accounts. “Upon receipt of the petition, we commenced investigation and wrote a letter of investigation activity to Access Bank requesting the defendant’s account details,” Kiri told the court.

He further disclosed that an analysis of the account between July and August 12, 2024, revealed a turnover of ₦466 million, mostly originating from vendors dealing with Golden Diamond.

“When they came, we asked why they sent such monies with narrations like kickbacks and cash back. They explained that the defendant demanded these payments in exchange for business patronage,” the EFCC officer testified.

Kiri identified one vendor, Abdul Wahab, who allegedly paid over ₦56 million into Jin’s Access Bank account as kickbacks. “He said the defendant threatened to disengage his company if he refused to comply,” the witness added. Another vendor, GTC Global, also confirmed that payments made to Jin were kickbacks.

The witness said further investigations revealed Jin used part of the proceeds for personal and third-party transactions, tracing ₦24 million to a company named Linda-African Pride and ₦2 million to an individual, Hassan Oladimeji, allegedly to help track a man named Abubakar Adamu, who had absconded with ₦39 million belonging to Jin. Some vendors, Kiri noted, were instructed to pay Adamu directly on Jin’s orders.

Kiri also revealed that several documents submitted by the petitioners contained fake invoices and corporate filings, later confirmed by the Corporate Affairs Commission to belong to non-existent companies. Some third-party accounts involved in the transactions were linked to Jin’s girlfriend and an associate, Emmanuel Ubu, both of whom remain at large alongside Adamu.

During proceedings, the defence counsel, Chief Emefo Etudo, objected to the admissibility of certain prosecution documents, arguing that alleged “mitigations” tainted the entire evidence bundle. The judge overruled the objection but ordered a trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness and authenticity of Jin’s extra-judicial statement.

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Another prosecution witness, businessman Yomibi Shofolahan, who dealt with Golden Diamond, also testified. He recounted that all business transactions were routed through Jin, who caused frequent payment delays, forcing vendors to protest.

“Under the company’s policy, payments are to be made two weeks after delivery. However, at a point, we waited up to five months. We then renegotiated prices per ton for late payments instead of ₦12,500. But when the defendant eventually raised our payment schedule, it was incomplete,” Shofolahan said.

The witness added, “He later paid the balance from his personal account,” and claimed that Jin soon demanded a “kickback” from the transaction. “He contacted me via WhatsApp, threatening to send security operatives against me if I refused. On June 27, 2024, he even sent a picture of a soldier attached to the company with a message asking if I would transfer the money or not.”

Shofolahan noted that in his experience with previous procurement officers, none had demanded kickbacks, and he clarified that all legitimate payments were strictly for goods supplied based on invoices.

Jin was arraigned by the EFCC on three-count charges including retention of stolen property, acceptance of kickbacks, bribery in the private sector, and stealing, contrary to relevant provisions of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011 and 2015. The charge sheet alleges that between March 5 and August 9, 2024, Jin dishonestly retained ₦301 million from vendors into his Access Bank account.

The prosecution has called six witnesses so far. The case has been adjourned to November 11, 2025, for continuation of the trial-within-trial.