Utibe Ekoson
A Federal High Court in Abuja has discharged and acquitted a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and five others over five hundred and forty four million naira contract fraud offences brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The court yesterday held that the anti-graft agency failed to establish a prima facie case against the former Secretary and the co-defendants.
Delivering a ruling on no case submission made by Lawal and others, Justice Charles Agbaza held that no ingredient of any offence was made out by the 11 witnesses who testified for the EFCC.
The Judge held that the EFCC did not establish that Lawal was 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.
Besides, Justice Agbaza held that the EFCC also failed to link Lawal with the Bureau of Public Procurement that issued a certificate of no objection to the contract before it was awarded.
The Judge discharged and acquitted all the defendants in the 10 criminal charges against them for want of evidence to link them with the purported offences.
