The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has officially released the voice note of former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, where he was allegedly giving verbal instructions on the botched Nigerian Air contract award.

Sirika’s voice note which was listened to at the court by Justice Sylvanus Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, was confirmed by the EFCC’s 12th prosecution witness, Christopher Odofin.

Two senior lawyers defending both Sirika and the company being prosecuted, Michael Numa and Sanusi Mohammed, did not deny that the voice belonged to Sirika.

Daily Trust reports that in June, the EFCC presented a Compact Disc (CD) to the court containing the voice note, which could not be immediately played during proceedings due to technical glitches.

Sirika currently faces six charges relating to corruption in a N2.8 billion aviation contract.

At Wednesday’s proceedings, EFCC tendered the CD as an exhibit to pave the way for the voice note in it to be played to the hearing of the judge and the court audience.

After listening to the voice note, the defence lawyers only opted to reserve their objection against the admissibility of the CD and its content for their final written addresses.

In the voice note, Sirika was believed to be instructing the then-Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Abel Enitan, to award a consultancy contract to his friend.

“Do the right thing. Generate the necessary contract and give it to his company. In that way, we can be paying for his services,” part of the voice note played said of the contract allegedly awarded to Sirika’s friend.

Clarifying the voice note, Odofin, an EFCC investigator, explained that the company referred to by the speaker in the voice note was Tanaero Nigeria Limited (TNL), a firm he said belonged to Gabriel Tilmann, a friend of Sirika.

The former Minister, in the voice note, described Tilmann as a trained captain and top manager who helped start up several airlines around the world, including Qatar Airlines, which he described as the best.

“Whatever we can get, he’s quite resourceful and very energetic…So he has what it takes.”

The voice note also disclosed that Tilmann was comfortable with the ministry because of the ex-minister.

“I mean, because of me, he feels very comfortable with the ministry,” the voice note said.

But the defence lawyer, Numa, representing the Al Buraq Investment, objected to the line of questioning, describing it as a call for speculation, adding that no foundation was laid for it to be appropriate.

In his intervention, the judge urged Numa to raise the issues during his turn to cross-examine the witness, but Numa maintained that the question was intentionally asked by the prosecution to create something for the press to hang on to.

However, the judge urged the defence not to worry about the media but to carry out their duties with a clear conscience.

Justice Sylvanus Oriji later adjourned the trial till Thursday for further proceedings (Daily Trust)