A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Minister of Power, Olu Agunloye, has explained the circumstances surrounding the certification of extracts from a Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting linked to the controversial Mambilla Power Project contract.
The development was disclosed on Wednesday during proceedings before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja, in the trial of Agunloye over the alleged fraudulent award of the Mambilla Power Project contract valued at $6 billion.
Agunloye is facing a seven-count amended charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, bordering on alleged official corruption and the award of the project to Sunrise Power Transmission Company Limited.
The witness, Iliya John Iyakwari, an Assistant Director of Legal in the Federal Ministry of Justice who is currently serving as an Assistant Legal Adviser in the Federal Ministry of Power, testified during cross-examination by defence counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN.
According to Iyakwari, the EFCC requested certified extracts of the minutes of the FEC meeting held on May 21, 2003 in July 2023, but the documents initially forwarded to the Commission were not certified.
The EFCC later discovered the documents were not certified and returned them to the ministry.
“It was after it was received by EFCC in July 2023 that they realised that the extract was not certified. So, in January 2024, a staff of the EFCC brought back the exhibit to my legal adviser and reminded my director that it was not certified,” Iyakwari said.
Iyakwari said the documents were eventually certified on January 26, 2024 after the omission was discovered and returned for correction.
He also told the court that he mistakenly stamped the original forwarding letter during the certification process before returning the documents to his director.
During the proceedings, prosecution counsel, Abba Mohammed, SAN, objected to suggestions that the witness had contradicted himself regarding the certification date.
Mohammed argued that the witness had only summarised activities that took place in 2023 and had not stated that the certification itself occurred that year.
“My lord, I object to this particular question. What is reflected in the records of the court is that in his explanation, he summarised that all these activities were done in 2023. He never said the certification was done in 2023,” Mohammed told the court.
The prosecution also opposed questions regarding documents previously tendered by another witness, arguing that Iyakwari could not be cross-examined on evidence that was not introduced through him.
Justice Onwuegbuzie subsequently adjourned the matter until June 18 and July 2, 2026, for continuation of trial.
