Ex works minister, Lawal gets bail over N 75bn fraud

Respite came the way of the embattled former minister of works, Dr. Hassan Lawal, yesterday, as he was finally granted bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja, after he had spent 35 days at the Kuje Maximum Prison.
The high court had on May 11, ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to remand him in prison custody, sequel to his alleged complicity in two criminal charges bordering on money laundering, conspiracy and illegal diversion of public funds through fictitious contracts.


Whereas the anti-graft agency, through an initial 29-count criminal charge it preferred against the former minister, maintained that he connived with eight persons to launder over N75.5 billion through six corporate entities when  he was in office, the commission further charged him and one Adesanya Adewole, on a separate nine-count criminal charge bordering  on alleged N45 billion scam.
Following the refusal by the previous judge who presided over the case, Justice Aliyu Bilkisu, to accede to several bail applications that were tendered before her by counsel to the accused persons, the ex-minister, alongside his alleged accomplices, petitioned the Chief Judge of the High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, who promptly re-assigned the case-file to another judge for continuation of their trial.
Consequently, the anti-graft agency on Monday re-arraigned the accused persons before the new  judge, Justice Adamu Bello, who, yesterday, granted them bail of N50 million each, adding that they should individually produce a surety who must also deposit N50m as bond before the court.
Besides, Justice Bello insisted that their surety should not only be resident in Abuja, but equally own a landed property not less than the amount upon which they were allowed on bail.
They were asked to surrender the title deed of the properties they intend to rely on, to the court registrar for authentication, as well as to submit all their travelling documents to the court.
Justice Bello, who maintained that the issue of bail was discretionary, said he had decided to exercise his discretion in favour of the accused persons.
According to the judge, “the offences for which the accused persons were charged before this court is not only ordinarily bailable, each of the offence upon conviction will only attract punishment not greater than two years imprisonment”.
He however warned all the accused persons to refrain from travelling outside the country in any way, just as he gave EFCC the nod to take them to Kuje prison should they fail to fulfill  any of the bail conditions.
Delivering ruling in the sister criminal case against the former minister, the judge ordered him and the 2nd accused, Adewole, to deposit N10 million each, as well as, produce one surety each in like sum.
While hearing on the case against him and 14 others was yesterday adjourned to July 26, the trial judge equally fixed October 5 and 6 to commence full-blown hearing on the second charge against him and Ademola.
Meanwhile, as at press time, 5pm, yesterday, none of the accused persons was able to perfect the bail conditions.
The EFCC had alleged that the ex-minister connived with his allged accomplices and defrauded the federal government to the tune of about N75.7 billion through plethora of fictitious contracts, adding that not only did they conspire amongst themselves and short-changed the government, but that they equally attempted to conceal the illicit origin of huge sums of monies traced to their individual accounts.
The agency maintained that the said fraud, which it said was perpetuated between 2006 and 2009, contravened section 17 (1) (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and punishable under section 14 (1) of the same Act.
Other accused person on trial include, the former Managing Director of one of the indicted companies, Digital Toll, Dr Adeogba Godwin Ademola, Mr Dave Enejoh, Okala Phillip Yakubu, Thahal Paul Engr. Abbey Ayodele and Mr Guy Pelleg.
The former misinster was  equally accused of conspiring with the indicted companies and made attempts to defraud the governments of Kogi, Nassarawa, as well as diverted monies and converted properties of the federal government within the two states for personal use.

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