A former Director, Legal Directorate of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Alheri Saidu, has said that the payment of N2.5 billion by the Director-General of the agency, Ishaq Moddibo Kawu, to Pinnacle Communication Limited, was against the government policy guiding the Digital Switch Over programme.
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Mr Saidu, who testified before Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa, of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in the on-going trial of Mr Kawu over his involvement in the N2.5 billion DSO fraud, said that the government White Paper on DSO was violated as the document only approved payment of seed grant to government-affiliated companies.
According to him, the White Paper only said seed grant should be paid to companies owned 100 per cent by the government.
The retired director also told the court that the payment of the money was not raised in an emergency management meeting held to consider other payment to Pinnacle Communication.
The court further heard that the meeting discussed the payment of carriage fees to the said company because DSO subscribers were defaulting and not the seed grant.
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