By Grace Q. Bryant
The defendant 1st Subpoenaed witness in the ongoing US$ 100 million cocaine case testified yesterday disclosing that the APM Terminals released the cocaine based on the instructions from the shipping line and the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA).
In his testimony at the Criminal Court ‘C’ the Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of APM Terminals, Emeka Ogbaje, said APM Terminal’s role in the entire logistics value chain is limited to the discharge of the container, storage of the container and released of the container upon instructions from the shipping line and custom in this case the Liberia Revenue Authority.
According to him, APM received the delivery order, which tells us that the owner of the container, TRH consignee has fulfilled its obligation towards the shipping line. “APM Terminals play no role in the inspection and clearing of containers in particularly these containers mentioned in the subpoena,” he testified.
He continued, “I have in my hand a copy of delivery received from the shipping line for the two containers,” APM’s Deputy Managing Director maintained.
“Upon receipt of those documents we also check that our fees have been duly paid after which we load the container on the truck and it goes to where the customer is staying. I also have copies of the invoices for payment made by consignee of those containers,” he testified.
He further testified that upon receipt of the delivery order of the shipping line, they singular it into the Asycuda System to know what instructions the LRA has given on where this container should go to; with respect to these two containers- the instructions was under the field DP which means Delivery Point or privilege which will interpret to me that it should go straight to the premises of the consignee where other custom process will be completed.
When asked by one of counselors for the defense as to which time the two containers was released to the consignee, TRH answered that both containers were released on September 26, 2022 but added that he cannot speak to the exact hour the two containers were released
He noted: “As per the documents, both containers were released from our facilities on the 26th of September 2022, I cannot speak to the exact hour,” Ogbaje revealed.
