Justice Charles Agbaza of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Friday, discharged and acquitted a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and five others from the N544m contract fraud offences slammed on them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Babachir Lawal alongside his younger brother, Hamidu Lawal; Suleiman Abubakar; Apeh Monday and two companies, Rholavision Engineering Limited and Josmon Technologies Limited were prosecuted by the EFCC over corruption charges.
They faced a 10-count charge bordering on fraud relating to the removal of evasive plant species to the tune of N544 million for which they pleaded not guilty.
In his ruling on a no-case-submission made by Babachir Lawal and other defendants, Justice Agbaza held that the EFCC failed woefully to establish prima facie case against the former SGF and the co-defendants.
He noted that no ingredients of any offence was made out by the 11 witnesses that testified for the EFCC.
He held that the EFCC could not link Babachir Lawal with the Bureau of Public Procurement that issued a certificate of no objection to the contract before it was awarded.
He also held that the anti graft agency did not establish that Lawal was either a member of the Presidential Initiative for North East, that awarded the contract or a member of the Ministerial Tenders Board that vetted and gave approval to the disputed contract.
Consequently, the trial judge discharged and aqcuitted all the defendants in the 10-count criminal charge levelled against them by the Federal Government for want of evidence to link them with the purported offences.
