Alleged fraud: Sirika awarded contract to unqualified firm, says witness

A witness in the ongoing trial of Hadi Sirika over an alleged fraud of N2.8 billion has said that the former Minister of Aviation awarded a contract to an unqualified company.

This was according to a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after Sirika’s trial continued on Monday.

“The Fifth Prosecution Witness, PW5, Musa Odiniyan, informed Justice S. C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court that the company, Al Buraq Global Investment, was not qualified for the contract awarded for the repairs of Katsina Airport by the ministry under the leadership of the first defendant,” the statement read.

The EFCC is prosecuting Sirika and three others: Fatima Hadi Sirika, Jalal Sule Hamma, and Al Buraq Global Investment on six-count amended charges bordering on contract fraud to the tune of N2.8 billion.

The anti-graft agency added that the witness, during cross-examination by counsel to the fourth defendant, Michael Numa, SAN, reaffirmed his position in his evidence that the company could not have qualified for the bidding process or the contract award if open and competitive bidding had been done.

“We use some criteria for determining the award of contracts for companies. I still maintain that if it was an open competitive bidding, the company Al Buraq may not have qualified,” he stated.

He also disclosed that the reason for which the contract was paid for was simply to ensure that it was completed and commissioned by former President Muhammadu Buhari before he left office.

“The reason for that payment was for the project to be implemented and commissioned before the exit of the former president. It was not for variation,” he said.

“The accounting officer sourced money from every relevant route to actualize the project. The N800 million is a budgetary allowance to support the actualization of the project.”

Odiniyan, a retired director in the Procurement Department, Ministry of Aviation, also informed the court that two of the ministry’s contracts awarded to Al Buraq and Enginos on the Apron and Terminal Building of Katsina Airport, respectively, were captured under two different budget codes but appeared in a single code in the Procurement Department.

The judge adjourned the matter until March 10, 2025, for continuation of the cross-examination.