N544m contract fraud charges against ex-SGF, Babachir Lawal unnecessary – EFCC witness admits in court

In the ongoing trial of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Dr Babachir Lawal, a witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confessed that the purported N544 million contract fraud accusations against the defendant were completely unjustified.

Dare Folarin, a witness, told a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja that the accusations against Lawal should have been dismissed as soon as the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) certified that a contract award to Rholavision Engineering Company had been approved.

He stated that the Bureau of Public Procurement, which approved the deal that led to the defendant’s indictment, never suggested that the transaction be investigated by the EFCC.

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The witness testified during cross-examination by Chief Akin Olujimi SAN that the anti-graft agency should not have gone any further after the BPP verified providing sanction to the contract under the emergency procurement process to save the people of the North East.

Folarin, an EFCC operative, admitted, like other witnesses in the trial, that Babachir Lawal was not a member of the Ministerial Tenders Board established by President Muhammadu Buhari as part of the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE), and that his role as SGF was to formulate policy and be notified of the board’s report.

The witness, on the other hand, stated that he did not recall Babachir Lawal telling him that he had never suggested any business to PINE for contract award.

He also told the court that he had no recollection of being told by the defendant that he stopped working for Rholavision Engineering Company as soon as he was appointed as SGF.

The EFCC witness further testified that he did not recall Lawal telling him throughout the inquiry that he was unaware of any contract award to Rholavision Company and that he (defendant) learned of the contract award during the Senate ad-hoc probe.

“I am aware that over the course of the inquiry, the Bureau of Public Procurement BPP confessed to have provided permission for the contract award because to the PINE Ministerial Tenders Board’s lack of protest to the proposal.”

The witness said, “I am also aware that the BPP did not recommend an inquiry to the EFCC on the alleged abuse of office and procurement violation.”

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Meanwhile, Justice Charles Agbaza has scheduled a hearing on the case for March 31 and April 1, 2022.