THE arraignment of former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and his brother, Ahmad Sirika, for yet another case of contract fraud in the sum of N19.4 billion was stalled due to their absence in court on Tuesday, May 14.
The former minister and his brother are standing trial on eight counts to the tune of N19.4 billion by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The sum is said to be connected to several Aviation ministry’s contracts awarded by the former minister to Enginos Nigeria Limited, owned by his younger brother, Abubakar.
However, on Tuesday, counsel for the EFCC, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, informed the presiding judge, Suleiman Belgore, that the ex-minister and his brother had yet to be served with the charges.
He, therefore, prayed for an adjournment, which was granted by the judge.
Consequently, the presiding judge Belgore fixed Thursday, May 23, 2024, for arraignment.
This latest arraignment follows a similar trial the former minister is facing before another judge, Sylvanus Oriji, on an alleged ₦2.7 billion fraud.
On Wednesday, May 8, The ICIR reported that the EFCC charged Sirika, his daughter and two other suspects in court on a six-count charge.
The other two defendants in the case are Jalal Hamma and Al-Duraq Investment Ltd.
Sirika pleaded ‘not guilty’ when the charges were read to him.
His counsel, Kanu Agabi, urged the court to grant him bail on self-recognition as a former minister.
After the arguments, the trial judge, Sylvanus Oriji, granted the accused bail of N100 million each and two sureties in like sum.
According to the court, in addition to the money, they must make sureties available who must have landed properties in Abuja and be responsible citizens.
The sureties must hold legally registered landed holdings within the Federal Capital Territory.
The court also prohibited the accused from leaving the country without authorisation.
The court ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison if they failed to meet their bail conditions, with the trial scheduled to start on June 10, 11, and 20.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M