‘$6bn Mambilla power fraud’: Witness Claims Agunloye forged contract document
A prosecuting witness in the ongoing trial of Olu Agunloye, former minister of power and steel, told the federal high court in Abuja on Monday that the contract award document for the Mambilla Power project was forged.
Agunloye is facing trial on a seven-count amended charge of official corruption and fraudulent award of the $6 billion Mambilla Power Project contract.
The third prosecuting witness, Umar Hussein Babangida (PW3), said under cross-examination by Agunloye’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe, a snior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), that the contract document dated May 22, 2003, was falsified.
“I wrote the investigation report tendered in court. Our investigation revealed that while serving as minister, Agunloye awarded the Mambilla project contract to SPTCL on May 22, 2003. The contract letter tendered in court is a false representation,” Babangida told the court.
When asked if the document had been compared to an original, Babangida explained: “The award document itself contains false information and misrepresentation of facts. I did not compare it with another document because this is a certified true copy.”
He added that during the federal executive council (FEC) meeting of May 21, 2003, all 40 ministers, including Agunloye, were in attendance.
Babangida also stated that he interviewed Kanu Agabi, the then attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
When asked for reports of these interviews, Babangida said no written reports were made because the interviews were oral.
He added that Obasanjo had written a letter to the current AGF and Minister of Justice regarding the matter.
“I was not at the FEC meeting of May 21, 2003, but we obtained the report formally. Besides the defendant, 39 other ministers were present. I did not interview the then Vice-President Atiku Abubakar,” he told the court.
Jude Onwuegbuzie, the presiding judge, adjourned the trial to December 1 for the continuation of PW3’s cross-examination.
