Babachir Lawal
By Our Reporter
Going by any unprecedented hiccups, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will today re-arraign a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and six others, for an alleged fraudulent N544m grass-cutting contract.
The trial suffered a setback when the presiding judge, Justice Jude Okeke, who was aged 64, died as a result of brief illness at the National Hospital, Abuja.
Lawal, along with his younger brother, Hamidu Lawal, Suleiman Abubakar, Apeh Monday and two companies – Rholavision Engineering Ltd and Josmon Technologies Ltd – had pleaded not guilty to the charges when read to them before Justice Okeke.
The prosecution was to open its case on March 18, 2019, when they announced that they had amended the 10 counts, bordering on fraud, diversion of over N544m and criminal conspiracy.
Following the judge’s demise, the case was re-assigned to Justice Charles Agbaza of the Jabi Division of the FCT High Court, where the trial will have to start afresh.
The EFCC alleged, in the 10 counts, that the defendants fraudulently converted cumulative proceeds of grass-cutting contracts worth over N500m which Lawal, as then SGF, allegedly awarded to companies in which he had interests.
