How New EFCC Boss Allegedly Ordered Withdrawal Of $153m Fraud Case Against ex-First Bank Director, Dauda Lawal

Facts have emerged to how the new chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mohammed Umar allegedly ordered the withdrawn of the corruption charges against a former Executive Director of First Bank Plc, Dauda Lawal.

Lawal is facing corruption trial for allegedly handling the sum of $25m out of a total of $153m doled out by Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources in Nigeria, in the build-up to the 2015 general elections.

The case involving $153m fraud against Nigeria was withdrawn by lawyers acting on the orders of the new management of the EFCC headed by Mohammed Umar, TVCNews reports.

The court consequently discharged and acquitted Lawal over the allegation against him.

At the last hearing, the prosecuting team sought an adjournment of the case to Wednesday on technical grounds but rather than resume prosecution, opted to discontinue the trial.

The EFCC lawyers informed the court that the withdrawal was based on the need for further investigation and that the defendant ought not to be charged alone but with others, who are currently at large.

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While prosecuting the case, a first prosecution witness told Justice Muslim Hassan of the Federal High sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, how he delivered 12 padlocked bags containing $70m to an Abuja-based banker on the instruction of Alison-Madueke.

The witness, a former Group General Manager, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, gave the testimony before Justice Hassan on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, according report in Saharareporters.