Judiciary

S’Court Affirms Farouk Lawan’s Jail Term 

By Web News 347

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed an appeal by a former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, against the judgments of the lower court which imprisoned him.

A Federal Capital Territory High Court had sentenced  Lawan to seven years imprisonment for receiving a $500,000 bribe while serving as the chairman of the House’s ad-hoc committee investigating the fuel subsidy fraud in 2012.

The trial Judge, Angela Otaluka, held that Lawan demanded $3m and received $500,000 from Femi Otedola in 2012 to remove Otedola’s oil company, Zenon Oil and Gas, from the list of firms indicted for fraud in the fuel subsidy regime.

She also held that  Lawan was guilty of all three counts of corruption and bribery.

Not satisfied, Lawan approached the appellate court where his jail term was reduced from seven to five years.

Lawan is at the Apex court urging the court to set aside the judgments of the lower court.

Reading the lead judgment, Justice Tijani Abubakar upheld the decision of the Appeal court and dismissed the appeal.

Punch/Adebukola Aluko

Crime

$3m bribery: Court Sentences Farouk Lawan To 7 Years Imprisonment

By Web News 719

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Apo, on Tuesday, convicted and sentenced the former Chairman of then-House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on Fuel Subsidy probe, Mr. Farouk Lawan, to seven years imprisonment.
The Court, in judgement that was delivered by Justice Angela Otaluka, found the four-term lawmaker for Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency of Kano State, guilty of demanding an aggregate sum of $3million from Chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, Chief Femi Otedola, to give his company a clean bill of health in the fuel subsidy probe the House of Reps initiated on 2012.
It held that the Defendant acted in breach of section 17 (1) (a), section 8(1) (a) (b) (ii), and section 23 (i) of the Corrupt practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000, and committed an offence punishable under section 8 (1) 17 (1) and 23(3) of the same Act.
The court said it was satisfied that the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, successfully established a criminal case against the Defendant.
The Defendant was convicted on all three-count charges the ICPC preferred against him.

Whereas the Defendant was handed 7 years jail term on counts 1 and 2 of the charge, the court sentenced him to 5 years on count 3.

Justice Otaluka held that the sentence would run concurrently.

Vanguard News