$620,000 Fuel Subsidy Scam: Farouk Lawan Yet To Open Defence
For the third time running, former Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Investigation into Fuel Subsidy Regime, Farouk Lawan, failed to open his defence in the trial for an alleged corruption and official indiscretions during the probe.
When the case came up for mention on Thursday, March 5, 2020 at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Apo, Abuja, Lawan, who was dragged before Justice Angela Otaluka by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), could not open his defence as earlier scheduled.
A four-term member of the Green chamber, who represented Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency of Kano State between 1999 and 2015, Lawan was alleged to have demanded $3 million for himself from the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, Femi Otedola.
The former lawmaker was also alleged to have collected $620,000 out of the amount with a view to removing the names of Otedola’s companies from the list of firms indicted by the ad hoc committee for allegedly abusing the fuel subsidy regime in 2012.
With his no-case submission crumbling, Lawan informed the court on January 28 that one of his witness, Babangida Abubakar, lost his brother and was therefore unavailable. The said Abubakar was scheduled to testify for Lawan that day when he lost his brother.
On February 11, when the matter was adjourned, the Kano-born former legislator, through Benson Igbanoi, who held the brief for Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), said he was applying for subpoena to compel a former member of the House and Abubakar to come to testify for him.
But on the resumed sitting, Godwin Iyinbor, who held the brief of Ozekhome, informed the court that the defence had not served the subpoena on the two witnesses.
He asked for an adjournment to enable them mobilise the court bailiff to serve the subpoena on the witnesses.
In his submission. the prosecuting counsel, Mr Fatogun Eyitayo, who stood in for Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), opposed the application for an adjournment.
Eyitayo noted that the Court had at the last adjourned date on February 11, 2020 indicated it was granting the defendant the last adjournment on the case.
The presiding judge, Justice Otaluka, who described the defence’s failure to serve the subpoena as deliberate, said being a criminal matter, the case ought to be on day-to-day basis, in line with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (AJCA).
She therefore adjourned the matter till Thursday, March 19, 2020 for the defence to finally open his case. – With agency reports
