NBC trial: No petition over N2.5bn DSO payment – ICPC investigator

A prosecution witness has testified that there was no petition received against Pinnacle Communications Limited over the N2.5 billion payment to it by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). The DG of the NBC, Ishaq Modibbo Kawu; the chairman of Pinnacle Communications Ltd, Lucky Omoluwa, and Dipo Onifade are facing a 12-count charge preferred against them […]

A prosecution witness has testified that there was no petition received against Pinnacle Communications Limited over the N2.5 billion payment to it by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

The DG of the NBC, Ishaq Modibbo Kawu; the chairman of Pinnacle Communications Ltd, Lucky Omoluwa, and Dipo Onifade are facing a 12-count charge preferred against them by the ICPC at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the switch-over project.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Friday, Charles Adama, an investigator with the ICPC, said the commission only received petition dated October 19, 2017 against Integrated Television Service (ITS), a government licensed signal distributor, which was paid N1.77bn.

While being cross examined by defence counsel, Alex Izinyon (SAN), he also could not assert that the N2.5bn made to Pinnacle violated any provision of the Federal Government White Paper on Implementation of the Digital Switch Over (DSO) from analogue television broadcasts.

He admitted that the N2.5bn was part of the N10bn released by the Federal Government to execute the DSO Project in the country and that the commission has not received any complaint from the FG in respect of the money paid to PCL.

The case was adjourned to May 27 for hearing.