N894m House of Reps contract followed due process –Witness

[SunNews]

From GODWIN TSA, Abuja

A prosecution witness, Mr. Bukoye Lasisi, in the trial of former speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole over fraudulent award of contracts has told a Federal High Court that due process was followed in the award of the N894 million contract in the House.

The contract was awarded during the reign Bankole and has been put on trial by the Federal Government on the allegation that due process was not followed in the contract award. But the witness, who is also the director of finance and account of the National Assembly told Justice Elvis Chukwu that due process was diligently followed in the award of the contract and that the clerk of the National Assembly, was the person that authorized the payment for the contract for which the former speaker was being tried.

The director of finance, who was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Festus Keyamo, claimed that the office of the speaker was too busy to be involved in such issues relating to calling for bids and selection, adding that the tender's board did all those things in the award of the contract and strictly followed due process. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Bankole on a 16-count criminal charge bordering on contract inflation and abuse of office when he was speaker of the House of Representatives. At the resumed hearing of the matter yesterday, the witness, under cross examination, told the court that: "The general practice for the award of contract at the House of Representatives is that the speaker and the clerk of the House give authorization for payment for any contract, but, in this instant case, it was the clerk of the National Assembly that authorized the payment for the contract." The prosecution witness further told the court that the former speaker did not take part in the placement of advertisement calling for bidding, opening of the bidding, verification of the binding and selection of the winner and in the other process that led to the award of the contract. The clerk of the House, Mohammed Ataba Omolori, in his testimony before the court earlier, said the contracts, for which Bankole was being tried, were approved by a body of principal officers of the House of Representatives, headed by Bankole. He gave other members of the body to include deputy speaker, House leader, deputy House leader, chief whip, deputy chief whip, minority leader, minority whip, deputy minority whip and deputy minority leader. He said the tender's board later awarded the contract based on the approval by a body of principal officers of the House of Representatives. Led in evidence by prosecution lawyer, Festus Keyamo, Omolori said, at the time the controversial contracts were awarded, Bankole was just the speaker of the House of Representatives. "In this particular case, it was a contract that can only be taken by the body of principal officers of the House of Representatives. For the purpose of approval of contracts, the body of principal officers of the House of Representatives under the chairmanship of the speaker makes the approval," Omolori, the fourth prosecution witness in the trial told the court.

Via: Sun News Online