‘You’re Fraudulent’ EFCC Tells Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal, ‘I’m Innocent’ He Pleads In Court 

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The former SGF made the plea alongside five others before Justice Okeke of the Federal High Court sitting today.

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Lawal is facing a 10 count charge of fraudulent diversion of funds meant for the clearing of evasive plants in the North East at the cost of over N272 million.

President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2017, had sacked Lawal, after a report of investigations by a panel chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, into allegations of fraud levelled against him.

Some of the charges in the suit marked CR/158/19, read: “That you Engineer Babachir David Lawal while being the Secretary to the Government of the Federation {SGF} and a director of Rholavision Engineering Ltd, Hamidu David lawal being a Director of Rholavision Engneering Ltd, Sulaiman Abubakar being a staff of Rholavision Engineering Ltd and Rholavision Engineering Ltd on or about the 7th of March, 2016 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did conspire to commit an offence to wit: fraudulent acquisition of property and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 26 (1) (c) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Retated Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under Section 12 of the same Act.

“That you Engineer Babachir David Lawal while being the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF)  and a director of Rholavision Engineering Ltd, on or about the 7th of March, 2016 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did knowingly hold indirectly a private interest in the consultancy contract awarded to Rholavision Engineering Ltd for the removal of invasive plant species and simplified irrigation to the tune of N7, 009,515.96 (Seven Million, Nine Thousand, Five Hundred and Fifteen Naira and Ninety Six Kobo only) by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) through the Presidential Initiative for North East (PINE) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 12 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000.

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“That you Engineer Babachir David Lawal white being the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and a director of Rholavision Engineering Ltd on or about the 4th of March, 2016 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did knowingly hold indirectly a private interest in the contract awarded to Josmon Technologies Ltd but executed by Rholavision Engineering Ltd for the removal of invasive plant species and simplified irrigation to the tune of N272,524,356.02 (Two Hundred and Seventy Two Million, Five Hundred and Twenty Four Thousand, Three Hundred and Fifty Six Naira and Two Kobo only) by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) through the Presidential Initiative for North East (PINE) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 12 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

“That you Engineer Babachir David Lawal while being the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and a director of Rholavision Engineering Ltd on or about the 22nd August, 2016 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory did knowingly hold indirectly a private interest in the contract awarded to Josmon Technologies Ltd but executed by Rholavision Engineering Ltd for the removal of invasive plant species and simplified irrigation to the tune of N258,132,735.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Eight Million, One Hundred and Thirty Two Thousand, Seven Hundred and Thirty Five Naira only) by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) through the Presidential Initiative for North East (PINE) and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 12 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000”.

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