The Federal Government yesterday filed a 39-count charge before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja detailing how the former Minister of Works and Housing, Dr. Hassan Lawal stole a whopping N28.4bn public fund in four years.:o
The government, which painted the nauseating picture of how the monies were allegedly siphoned from the public till, also dragged before the court five individuals and corporate organisations, who allegedly conspired with the ex-minister to commit the crime. According to the charge signed by a Senior Legal Adviser of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Miss Mary Onoja, the accomplice include Digital Toll Company Limited, Dr. G. A. Adeogba, Engineer Abbas Gumi, Dr. Tukur Ingawa and Mrs. Ammuna Lawal Ali. Lawal, the principal accused person, was appointed minister by the regime of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. The EFCC thoroughly investigated the former minister following complaints and discovery of his stupendous wealth in assets and cash.:p
Investigations showed that his wealth was so staggering that the EFCC had to freeze, in the first instance, monies met in some of his personal accounts before going ahead with the case. During the investigations, curious lodgements of various funds into his personal accounts by his cronies and agents were discovered while an asset valued at N600,350,000 situated at Plot 1471, Mamman Nasir Street, Asokoro, Abuja, belonging to him was discovered. He was said to have been grilled on how he raised the money to buy the property as a civil servant but he could not offer any reasonable answer other than that he paid through a United Bank of Africa facility from sources which EFCC described as having illicit origins.
EFCC, in the course of the investigation also discovered a pattern in the perpetration of the alleged fraud. Specifically, between 2007 when he was appointed minister and 2010, Lawal was accused of conspiring with some people to move out huge sums of monies from the Federal Government coffers to make payments for contracts not executed; award contracts to non-existing companies, including those without financial and infrastructural muscle to deliver; engage in contract splitting, repeated award of same contracts to same companies and fraudulent crediting of his personal account with such monies.:evil:Water for Elephants
The government, which painted the nauseating picture of how the monies were allegedly siphoned from the public till, also dragged before the court five individuals and corporate organisations, who allegedly conspired with the ex-minister to commit the crime. According to the charge signed by a Senior Legal Adviser of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Miss Mary Onoja, the accomplice include Digital Toll Company Limited, Dr. G. A. Adeogba, Engineer Abbas Gumi, Dr. Tukur Ingawa and Mrs. Ammuna Lawal Ali. Lawal, the principal accused person, was appointed minister by the regime of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. The EFCC thoroughly investigated the former minister following complaints and discovery of his stupendous wealth in assets and cash.:p
Investigations showed that his wealth was so staggering that the EFCC had to freeze, in the first instance, monies met in some of his personal accounts before going ahead with the case. During the investigations, curious lodgements of various funds into his personal accounts by his cronies and agents were discovered while an asset valued at N600,350,000 situated at Plot 1471, Mamman Nasir Street, Asokoro, Abuja, belonging to him was discovered. He was said to have been grilled on how he raised the money to buy the property as a civil servant but he could not offer any reasonable answer other than that he paid through a United Bank of Africa facility from sources which EFCC described as having illicit origins.
EFCC, in the course of the investigation also discovered a pattern in the perpetration of the alleged fraud. Specifically, between 2007 when he was appointed minister and 2010, Lawal was accused of conspiring with some people to move out huge sums of monies from the Federal Government coffers to make payments for contracts not executed; award contracts to non-existing companies, including those without financial and infrastructural muscle to deliver; engage in contract splitting, repeated award of same contracts to same companies and fraudulent crediting of his personal account with such monies.:evil:Water for Elephants
