$3m Bribe: Ex-Lawmaker, Farouk Lawan, Gets Seven Years Jail Term
For demanding a three million dollars ($3m) bribe and receiving $500,000 from Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, Mr Femi Otedola, a former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, will be cooling his feet in jail for the next seven years.
Justice Angela Otaluoverka of the High Court, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting at Apo in Abuja, delivered the judgment on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
The former lawmaker was found guilty on the three-count charge brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Lawan, who served as the chairman of House Adhoc Committee on Petroleum Subsidy Regime in 2012, was dragged before Justice Angela Otaluka of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting at Apo, Abuja, by the ICPC on behalf of the Federal Government.
In the case marked FCT/HR/CR/76/13, Lawan, a four-term member of the House of Representatives, who represented Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency of Kano State between 1999 and 2015, was alleged to have demanded the sum of $3 million for himself from the oil magnate, Femi Otedola.
The anti-graft Commission had accused Lawan of collecting $620,000 out of the amount with a view to removing Otedola’s company, Zenon Oil and Gas, from the list of firms indicted by the ad hoc committee for allegedly abusing the fuel subsidy regime in 2012.
Justice Otaluka sentenced the convict to seven years in prison on Counts one and two of the charge and five years on count three.
However, the sentence for all the charges will run concurrently for Lawan.
In addition, the convict was also ordered by the Court to make restitution by paying into the Federal Government’s coffers the sum of $500,000 he collected from Otedola.
