• Home
  • Anti-Corruption
  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
  • National
    • Government
  • Security
  • Features
  • State
  • Event
    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Search
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
PRNIGERIA PRNigeria News
PRNIGERIA PRNIGERIA
  • Home
  • Anti-Corruption
    • Chinese nationals jailed in Lagos

      Court Jails Nine Chinese Nationals for Cybercrime in Lagos

      ASUU

      Tackle Corruption, Institutional Decay – ASUU Charges FG

      EFCC Arraigns Bauchi Accountant General Over N8bn Fraud as Court Sentences…

      PRNigeria logo fearured image

      EFCC Arraigns Ex-Convict, Other for Naira Abuse in Lagos

      EFCC Arrests 37 Suspected Internet Fraudsters in Ilorin

  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
    • Customs Diplomacy: Nigeria, Saudi Arabia Ink Mutual Assistance Deal

      Comptroller General Nigerian Customs Bashir Adewale

      Nigeria, Belarus Forge Alliance to Combat Smuggling, Facilitate Trade

      President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and CG Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi

      Tinubu Hails Customs Boss Wale Adeniyi on Historic Election as WCO…

      WTO Lauds Nigeria Customs for Embracing Global Trade Standards

      Nigeria, Rwanda Sign Landmark Tax Treaty to Boost Cross-Border Investment

  • National
    • For Aminu Dantata to Sleep Well… By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice

      Nigerian Dignitaries, Business Leaders Attend Aminu Dantata’s Burial in Madinah Saudi…

      IGP Kayode Egbetokun Police Boss

      Police Rescue Trafficked Ghanaian Youth in Abuja

      Bashir Adewale Adeniyi Customs Boss

      Bashir Adeniyi: A Roadmap to Global Customs Leadership By Tahir Ahmad

      Arewa Discussion Group

      Arewa Discussion Group Launched to Tackle Northern Challenges

    • Government
      • Nigerian Dignitaries, Business Leaders Attend Aminu Dantata’s Burial in Madinah Saudi…

        Dantata laid to rest at Medina Cemetery

        Legendary Business Mogul Aminu Dantata Laid to Rest in Madinah Cemetery

        Tinubu Seeks Visa Waivers, Scholarships as Nigeria Establishes Diplomatic Ties with…

        Malam Yusuf Abubakar Dingyadi

        Dingyadi, PDP Chair’s Vocal Spokesperson, Resigns

        Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar

        Ambassador Tuggar’s Doctrine of Calm in a World on Fire By…

  • Security
    • Nigerian Police Force

      Anambra Police Launch Manhunt After Gunmen Kill 10 in Ogboji Attack

      MATAWALLE, cds, AND pERM SEC OF dEFENCE MINISTRY

      “You Are Now Nigeria’s Frontline Guardians in War Against Terrorism –…

      IGP Kayode Egbetokun Police Boss

      Police Rescue Trafficked Ghanaian Youth in Abuja

      Police Officer

      FCT Police Nab Notorious Kidnappers Linked to Killings, Mass Abductions in…

      Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa

      Okuama 17: Court Orders Military Chief to Produce Detained Monarch in…

  • Features
    • For Aminu Dantata to Sleep Well… By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice

      Bashir Adewale Adeniyi Customs Boss

      Bashir Adeniyi: A Roadmap to Global Customs Leadership By Tahir Ahmad

      IGP Kayode Egbetokun Police Boss

      IGP Egbetokun: Leading the Charge for a Safer Nigeria By Danjuma…

      NDLEA Logo

      Drug Culture in Nigerian Music: When Art Imitates Harm By Arafat…

      Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar

      Ambassador Tuggar’s Doctrine of Calm in a World on Fire By…

  • State
    • For Aminu Dantata to Sleep Well… By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice

      Dantata laid to rest at Medina Cemetery

      Legendary Business Mogul Aminu Dantata Laid to Rest in Madinah Cemetery

      IGP Kayode Egbetokun Police Boss

      Police Rescue Trafficked Ghanaian Youth in Abuja

      Police Officer

      FCT Police Nab Notorious Kidnappers Linked to Killings, Mass Abductions in…

      Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa

      Okuama 17: Court Orders Military Chief to Produce Detained Monarch in…

  • Event
    • NELFUND

      NELFUND Warns Students Against Fake Loan Application Portal

      EFCC Witness: Yahaya Bello Had No Property Dealings With EFAB

      Hon. Rukayat Motunrayo Shittu (RMS), with PRNigeria Ladies in PR I'm Abuja

      Rukayat Shittu Set to Publish Inspirational Book “Cracking the Glass Ceiling”,…

      Chief Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo

      Former Kwara Governor, Chief Adebayo, Dies at 84

      Managing Editor of Image Merchants, Mr Abdulrahman Abdulraheem, PR Expert, Celestine Achi and the Editor-in-chief, Yushau Shuaib presenting the book to PRNigeria center

      PRNigeria Commends New Book on Artificial Intelligence in Public Relations

    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Home Anti-Corruption Court rejects EFCC’s forensic report, exhibits on ex-SGF Babachir Lawal’s N544M Contract...
  • Anti-Corruption

Court rejects EFCC’s forensic report, exhibits on ex-SGF Babachir Lawal’s N544M Contract Scam

By
Prnigeria
-
June 24, 2021
Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal
Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal

Court rejects EFCC’s forensic report, exhibits on ex-SGF Babachir Lawal’s N544M Contract Scam

The trial of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF Babachir Lawal by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC on alleged contract scam suffered a setback on Thursday in Abuja with the rejection of forensic report and exhibits sought to be tendered against him by EFCC.

The ex-SGF is being prosecuted on alleged N544M contract scam along with five others.

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory rejected the forensic report and other exhibits sought to be admitted against Babachir Lawal ito establish corruption in the N544 million contract scam trial.

The documents which were in three categories were thrown away by the court on the ground that conditions for their admissibility were not met by EFCC.

Ruling in an application argued by Chief Akin Olujimi SAN, on behalf of the former SGF, Justice Charles Agbaza held that the forensic report and other computer generated documents violated the provisions of the Evidence Act, 2004.

The Judge held that both EFCC and the defendants did not dispute the fact that the documents were generated through computer but however said that Section 84 of the Evidence Act, which relates to admission of such documents were not complied with by EFCC.

Among others, Justice Agbaza said that certificate of compliance was not provided as required by law before such exhibits could be accepted while the oral evidence of a prosecution witness, Mrs Fatima Umar, did not conform with provision of the law on how the information obtained from an iPhone of a private person was generated.

The Judge further held that the evidence of the witness fell short of Section 82 of the Evidence Act, while he agreed that under Section 102 of the same Act the uncertified documents formed public documents having been prepared by EFCC as a public body.

He subsequently marked the exhibits as rejected and threw them out.

The case was thereafter adjourned till July 8, 2021 for continuation of trial of the former SGF.

The former SGF,had in April asked the court to reject computer generated documents sought by the EFCC to be tendered as exhibits against him in the N544M contract fraud trial.

Read Also:

  • For Aminu Dantata to Sleep Well… By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice
  • Nigerian Dignitaries, Business Leaders Attend Aminu Dantata’s Burial in Madinah Saudi Arabia
  • Legendary Business Mogul Aminu Dantata Laid to Rest in Madinah Cemetery

Babachir Lawal had told the court that the forensic laboratory report generated from computer was not admissible in law because they were not in their original form and not certified as required by law.

The EFCC through its counsel Mr Ofem Uket had sought to tender a forensic laboratory report obtained from print out of Iphone belonging to one Musa Bulani to establish the money laundering charges filed against the former SGF and five others.

But counsel to Babachir Lawal, Chief Akin Olujimi SAN had raised objection against admission of the documents on the ground that their sources ran foul of sections 84 and 256 of the Evidence Act 2014.

He had argued that the printed hardcopy obtained from the Compact Disc is not the original source but the iPhone.

Olujimi had argued tfurther hat the extraction was not marked as a Certified True Copy (CTC) adding that EFCC hacked into someone’s phone and came up with what it found and sought to tender it without following due process of law.

For the documents to be admitted, Olujimi argued that a certificate signed by the maker must accompany them since they are electronically generated evidence and urged Justice Charles Agbaza to reject the extracted information.

John Itodo, counsel for the second defendant, Napoleon Idenala, counsel for the third defendant, Ocholi Okutepa, counsel for the fourth and sixth defendant, Emmanuel Oru, counsel for the fifth defendant all aligned themselves with Olujimi’s submission and adopted it as their arguments.

The prosecution counsel had in a counter, argued otherwise and insisted that there iwas no need to issue a certificate, stressing that a witness has testified in court and has presented original documents.

With the outright rejection of the sensitive exhibits, EFCC will now play reliance on oral evidence of its witnesses in the prosecutor of the former SGF.

The former SGF is facing a 10-count charge EFCC filed against him but however pleaded not guilty.

The charge borders on diversion of funds, criminal conspiracy, and official corruption.

Those standing trial along with him are his younger brother Hamidu Lawal, Suleiman Abubakar, Apeh Monday, and two companies, Rholavision Engineering (fifth defendant) and Josmon Technologies (sixth defendant).

By PRNigeria

VISIT OUR OTHER WEBSITES
PRNigeria.com EconomicConfidential.com PRNigeria.com/Hausa/
EmergencyDigest.com PoliticsDigest.ng TechDigest.ng
HealthDigest.ng SpokesPersonsdigest.com TeensDigest.ng
ArewaAgenda.com Hausa.ArewaAgenda.com YAShuaib.com
  • TAGS
  • Babachir lawal
  • Contract Scam
  • Court
  • efcc
  • forensic report
Previous articleHow I Started Pushing before “The Buhari in Us” By Abdullahi Haruna Haruspice
Next articleFinally, Winners of National Robotic Championship 2021 Emerge
Prnigeria
Prnigeria
Xing

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Chinese nationals jailed in Lagos

Court Jails Nine Chinese Nationals for Cybercrime in Lagos

ASUU

Tackle Corruption, Institutional Decay – ASUU Charges FG

EFCC Arraigns Bauchi Accountant General Over N8bn Fraud as Court Sentences Kano Make-Up Artist for Naira Abuse

PRNigeria logo fearured image

EFCC Arraigns Ex-Convict, Other for Naira Abuse in Lagos

EFCC Arrests 37 Suspected Internet Fraudsters in Ilorin

EFCC, CCC and the Battle Against Corruption in Nigeria, By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi

Ola Olukoyede, EFCC Chairman

EFCC’s Anti-Corruption War: Between Media Trial and Intelligence-Driven Operations

Olayiwola Oguntade

Court Sentences Ex JAMB Staff for N10m Fraud in Ibadan

Diezani-Alison-Madueke

Nigeria, US sign MoU to repatriate $53m linked to former oil minister, Diezani

EFCC Sacks 27 Fraudulent Officers for Misconduct

Court Okays EFCC’s Request to Freez 67 Bank Accounts Over Alleged Fraud

Official_JAMB_logo

JAMB, NRC Top ICPC Integrity Ranking

Recent Posts

  • For Aminu Dantata to Sleep Well… By Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice
  • Nigerian Dignitaries, Business Leaders Attend Aminu Dantata’s Burial in Madinah Saudi Arabia
  • Legendary Business Mogul Aminu Dantata Laid to Rest in Madinah Cemetery
  • Anambra Police Launch Manhunt After Gunmen Kill 10 in Ogboji Attack
  • Protesters Occupy Public Offices, Call for NMDPRA Boss Probe
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
© 2020 PRNigeria. All Rights Reserved.
Latest News
For Aminu Dantata to Sleep Well… By Abdullahi O Haruna HaruspiceNigerian Dignitaries, Business Leaders Attend Aminu Dantata's Burial in Madinah Saudi ArabiaLegendary Business Mogul Aminu Dantata Laid to Rest in Madinah CemeteryAnambra Police Launch Manhunt After Gunmen Kill 10 in Ogboji AttackProtesters Occupy Public Offices, Call for NMDPRA Boss Probe"You Are Now Nigeria’s Frontline Guardians in War Against Terrorism – Matawalle Tells Special Forces GraduatesPolice Rescue Trafficked Ghanaian Youth in AbujaFCT Police Nab Notorious Kidnappers Linked to Killings, Mass Abductions in Abuja, KadunaOkuama 17: Court Orders Military Chief to Produce Detained Monarch in DeltaUnexploded Military Ordnance Recovered in Damaturu by PoliceSeparate IED Explosions Kill Teenager, Injure 2, Destroy Bridge in BornoTroops Eliminate 8 Boko Haram/ISWAP Terrorists in BornoYouths Applaud Tsenyil’s Confirmation, Back Tinubu’s Regional Development Troops Eliminate 10 Terrorists in Fierce Battle Near Cameroon BorderBashir Adeniyi: A Roadmap to Global Customs Leadership By Tahir Ahmad
X whatsapp