N544m Scam: Court Vindicates Lawal, 5 Others

Federal High Court, Abuja has vindicated the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and five others from the N544 million contract fraud offenses leveled at them by an anti-graft agency.

Babachir Lawal, his younger brother Hamidu Lawal, Suleiman Abubakar, Apeh Monday, and two companies, Rholavision Engineering Limited and Josmon Technologies Limited were brought before the Court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

They were facing 10 charges bordering on fraud, relating to the removal of evasive plant species to the tune of N544m, over which the suspects pleaded not guilty.

The anti-graft agency had on November 30, 2020, brought Lawal before Justice Agbaza of the federal high court, Abuja.

Justice Agbaza in his judgment said EFCC did not professionally prove the allegations against the Ex-SGF and the co-defendants.

Agbaza maintained that the lawsuit against Lawal and others, had no bearing on any offense as testified by the 11 witnesses brought by the EFCC.

The Judge also stressed that EFCC did not prescribe Lawal as either a member of the Presidential Initiative for the North-East that awarded the contract or a member of the Ministerial Tenders Board that vetted and gave approval to the disputed contract.

In addition, the court maintained that EFCC did not link Lawal with the Bureau of Public Procurement that issued a certificate of no objection to the contract before it was awarded.

The Judge, however, discharged and acquitted all the defendants in the 10 criminal charges against them for want of evidence to link them with the purported offenses.