How ex-Minister, Hadi Sirika cut up N2.7bn airport contract to relations – Witness

A prosecution witness on Tuesday informed the FCT Excessive Court docket in Abuja how former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, allegedly cut up an airport contract to evade regulatory scrutiny and channel it to firms linked to his household.

The witness, Adekunle Odofin, an investigator with the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC), testified that the contract splitting was aimed toward bypassing the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and the Federal Govt Council (FEC) through the approval course of.

Explaining the controversial offers, Odofin informed the courtroom that the previous minister ensured the chosen firms have been paid one hundred pc of the contract sum upfront.

Odofin, who started his testimony because the twelfth prosecution witness on Monday, recognized the contracts because the terminal constructing and apron growth on the Umaru Musa Yar’adua Airport in Katsina, Katsina State.

Hadi Sirika, who served as Aviation Minister from 2015 to 2023, is from Katsina, the identical state as former President Muhammadu Buhari, who appointed him.

In response to Odofin, Sirika cut up the challenge into two separate contracts—one awarded to Enginos Nigeria Restricted, owned by his brother Hamad Sirika, and the opposite to Al Buraq International Funding Restricted, an organization wherein Sirika’s daughter and her husband maintain pursuits.

“Investigation revealed that the primary defendant (Mr Sirika) used his place to divide the contract into two. The primary contract – the terminal constructing – was awarded to Enginos, an organization belonging to his brother Hamad Sirika, whereas the second contract – apron growth – was awarded to the fourth defendant (Al Buraq International Funding Restricted),” Odofin stated.

The EFCC is prosecuting Sirika, alongside his daughter Fatima Sirika, her husband Jalal Hamma, and their agency, Al Buraq International Funding Restricted, on six counts of contract fraud involving ₦2.8 billion.

The fee alleged that the couple unlawfully secured aviation ministry contracts price over ₦1 billion whereas Sirika was nonetheless the minister.

Sirika can be going through costs of abuse of workplace for allegedly awarding contracts to an organization linked to his daughter and son-in-law.

The fees embody claims that Sirika used his workplace to confer unfair benefit on Al Buraq International Funding Restricted, notably a ₦1.5 billion contract for the apron extension at Katsina Airport.

The EFCC additional alleged that Fatima and her husband had oblique non-public pursuits within the contract, with ₦1.3 billion traced to Sirika as alleged proceeds of felony conduct, categorized as gratification.

The fee stated the offence violates Part 12 of the Unbiased Corrupt Practices and Different Associated Offences Fee (ICPC) Act.

All defendants have pleaded not responsible.

Odofin defined that the contract splitting was achieved to divide the contract into quantities sufficiently small to remain throughout the minister’s approval threshold, thereby bypassing increased regulatory approvals required by legislation.

He additionally identified that it was extremely irregular and probably felony for the businesses to obtain one hundred pc of the contract sum upfront, as an alternative of the usual phased funds tied to levels of challenge completion.

Providing extra context, Musa Odiniyan, the fifth prosecution witness and a retired director within the Procurement Division of the Aviation Ministry, beforehand testified in January that the upfront funds have been justified underneath the declare that the challenge wanted to be accomplished earlier than former President Buhari left workplace.

Odiniyan additionally testified that Al Buraq was not certified and wouldn’t have gained the contract underneath a correct aggressive bidding course of.

Throughout Tuesday’s listening to, Odofin informed the courtroom that ₦182 million from the contract was paid into Jalal Hamma’s Zenith Bank account, with ₦110 million of that sum moved into a hard and fast deposit.

He additionally revealed that ₦7.4 million was transferred to Fatima Sirika’s Jaiz Bank account, whereas one other ₦8.2 million—cut up into ₦5.5 million and ₦2.7 million—was transferred into Hamma’s wage account at Access Bank.

Moreover, Odofin stated ₦500 million was paid to Trimark Engineering Companies Restricted, a agency not concerned within the apron growth challenge. As a substitute, the cash was diverted to execute contracts Trimark had with different authorities companies.

He additional disclosed that ₦549 million, plus some fractions, stays in Al Buraq’s account, with the contract nonetheless unexecuted.

EFCC’s lead counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), tried to tender statements made by Fatima and Hamma throughout their interrogation as proof.

Nonetheless, the defence objected, arguing the statements have been confessional and obtained underneath duress.

Trial decide Sylvannus Oriji dominated that it was untimely to resolve on the admissibility of the statements and ordered a trial-within-trial to find out whether or not the statements have been made voluntarily.

The case was adjourned to 27, 28, and 29 October for additional proceedings.