A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the ongoing trial of the immediate past Aviation Minister, Senator Hadi Sirika and three others before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Tuesday said the company approved for the award of contract at the Katsina airport did not qualify to handle the job.
The former minister, who served under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, alongside his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika; son-in-law, Jalal Hamma and Al-Buraq Investment Limited is being prosecuted by the EFCC, on behalf of the Federal Government, before Justice Sylvanus Oriji, sitting at Maitama, Abuja, on a six-count charge bordering on abuse of office and contract fraud.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge brought against them.
Testifying as the fifth prosecution witness (PW5), at the resumed hearing of the matter on Tuesday, Musa Odiniya, a retired Director of Procurement in the Ministry of Aviation, informed that Sirika approved award of contracts for terminal building and apron expansion at the Katsina airport despite the fact that the companies, Enginos Nigeria Limited and Al Buraq did not qualify for the job.
He said though the contract was listed as a single contract on the Ministry of Aviation’s projects list for 2022 for N800 million, it was eventually awarded to two companies, with Enginos given the contract for terminal building, while Al Buraq was awarded the apron expansion job.
According to him, Al Buraq was registered in 2021 and the contract was awarded in 2022, adding that, ‘Such company registered within the period of award of contract may not qualify for the award of such contract as the terminal building and apron expansion’.
“The company may not have the capacity to execute such contract. The company is not qualified.”
Odiniya, further, told the court that despite not executing the project it was awarded, Al Buraq collected 100 percent payment, which he said was against the laid down procedure for payment of contract in the ministry.
“When I was there (Ministry of Aviation), the first payment was 30 percent. When the process was going on, the contractor (Al Buraq) made request for 70 percent payment and that was processed. Before the 100 percent payment, there was no execution of the project,” the EFCC witness told the court.
He also said that all companies bidding for projects in the ministry were required to submit sworn affidavits to confirm that no officials of the ministry had any relationship with them.
Asked if the ministry can give contract to a company that has a civil servant as its sole signatory, Odiniya said the essence of the sworn affidavit was to show that no officials of the ministry had anything to do with the company.
The PW5 also told the court that it was in the course of EFCC’s investigation that he got to know that the former minister and the second defendant were related, adding that he met the third defendant at EFCC office and he (Jalal Sule Hamma) introduced himself to him (witness) as a director of Al Buraq.
After his testimony, Justice Oriji adjourned to November 21 for the hearing of the former Minister’s application seeking leave of the court to travel out of the country, while he fixed January 23, 2025 for cross-examination of PW5.