Kawu, alongside Lucky Omonuwa, the founder of Pinnacle Communications Limited, and Dipo Onifade, Managing Director of the same company, were accused of fraudulently receiving N2.5billion.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has filed a 12-count charge against Modibbo Kawu, the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
The case came up at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday.
Kawu, alongside Lucky Omonuwa, the founder of Pinnacle Communications Limited, and Dipo Onifade, Managing Director of the same company, were accused of fraudulently receiving N2.5billion.
The commission said the defendants acted in contravention of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
Accounting to the prosecutor, the money was received by Omonuwa and deposited into Zenith Bank account of the Pinnacle.
One of the claims is that the DG recommended to the Minister of Information "to approve payment of the sum of N2.5billion to Pinnacle Communications Ltd, a private company owned by Sir Lucky Omonuwa as a ‘seed grant’ under the DigitalSwitch-Over programme of the Federal Government when you knew that the company was not entitled to receive such a grant and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 26(1)(c) and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000".
Omonuwa was said to have transferred N167million out of the said sum to Daura Mamman, a bureau de change operator, contrary to Section 11(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.
The accused denied the allegations on the claim that the ICPC is unaware of the entire process of the contract award.