A witness in the ongoing trial of former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, on Monday, informed Justice S. C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, that the company, Al Buraq Global Investment, was not qualified to handle the repairs of Katsina Airport awarded by the former minister.
Musa Odiniyan, the fifth prosecution witness (PW5) in the case, told the court that despite not being qualified, the company was given the contract by the ministry under the leadership of the first defendant.
Sirika is standing trial alongside his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika, son-in-law Jalal Sule Hamma, and Al Buraq Global Investment on six-count amended charges bordering on contract fraud to the tune of N2,825,032,220.97.
During cross-examination by counsel to the fourth defendant, Michael Numa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Odiniyan said 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.
Odiniyan, a retired director in the Procurement Department, Ministry of Aviation, 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 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. 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,” he said.
He revealed that two of the ministry’s contracts awarded to Alburak 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.
Sirika was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on May 9, 2024, on six-count contract fraud charges during his tenure as Minister of Aviation, between 2019 and 2023.
Count one of the charges reads: “That you, HADI ABUBAKAR SIRIKA, while being the Minister of Aviation between April 2022 and March 2023, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did use your position to confer an unfair advantage upon TIANAERO NIGERIA LIMITED whose alter ego, PROF. GABRIEL TILMANN is your Associate by using your position to influence the award to them, the Consultancy contract for the Nigerian Air Start-up and extension of same for the sum of N1,326,731,470.97 (One Billion, Three Hundred and Twenty Six Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty-One Thousand, Four Hundred and Seventy Naira, Ninety Seven Kobo Only) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under the same section.
Count two of the charges reads: “That you, HADI ABUBAKAR SIRIKA, while being the Minister of Aviation between April 2022 and March 2023, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did use your position to confer an unfair advantage upon AL BURAQ GLOBAL INVESTMENT LTD whose alter ego FATIMA HADI SIRIKA and JALAL SULE HAMMA is your daughter and son-in-law respectively by using your position to influence the award to them, the contract for the Apron Extension at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1,498,300,750.00 (One Billion, Four Hundred and Ninety-Eight Million, Three Hundred Thousand, Seven Hundred and Fifty Naira Only) and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under the same Section.”
When the charges were read to them, they pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Justice Oriji consequently admitted each of the four defendants to bail in the sum of N100m, with two sureties in like sum.
According to the court, the sureties must have landed properties in Abuja with Certificates of Occupancy signed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Also, the sureties are to depose to affidavits of means.
Justice Oriji barred the defendants from travelling outside the country without the leave of the court and remanded them at the Kuje Correctional Centre until they met the bail conditions.