Former Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Dr. Modibbo Is’haq Kawu was on Thursday in Abuja discharged and acquitted by the Federal High Court in a case of alleged mismanagement of N2.5billion brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Lucky Omoluwa, Chairman of Pinnacle Communications Limited, and Dipo Onifade, Chief Operating Officer who were charged along with Kawu were also cleared by the Federal High Court.
theheraldnews.ng reports that Dr. Kawu was suspended from office by the Federal Government in 2020.
During the pendency of the case, ICPC called witnesses including Osanato Olugbemi, who told the Court that payment to Pinnacle Communications was suspicious and that it was shrouded in secrecy.
He also alleged that there were 47 questionable transactions originated by the Chairman of Pinnacle Communications immediately after the receipt of the funds on June 2, 2017 including payments to individuals and a Bureau de Change.
Bureau de Change operator, Salisu Mamman Daura, told the Court that he converted large sums into U.S. dollars and handed same over to an individual on behalf of Pinnacle Communications.
He testified that he received N167 million in two installments of N97 million and N70 million respectively from Pinnacle Communications Limited which were converted “into $265, 000 and $195, 735 respectively, at the rate of N360 to an American dollar, and handed in cash to one Alhaji Sabo, supposedly on behalf of Pinnacle Communications.
Delivering the judgment on Thursday, Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa discharged and acquitted the defendants of all the five counts of fraud filed against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), .
According to the Court, the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, adding that, “The witnesses’ statements did not directly link the defendants to the alleged fraud”.
Besides, Justice Ogunbanjo-Giwa said the ICPC did not tender any documentary evidence to corroborate its claims, noting that a former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who allegedly approved the payment under questionable circumstances, was not called to testify.
While pointing out that some prosecution witnesses admitted in court that the minister may have been misled into approving the payment, Justice Ogunbanjo-Giwa concluded that the prosecution failed to establish the charges against the defendants and proceeded to dismiss the case, declaring the defendants “discharged and acquitted.”
