FORMER member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, has regained freedom from the Kuje Custodial Center in Abuja as he ends his jail term.
Lawan, who was the Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Regime, was arraigned in 2013 after he was accused of demanding a bribe of $3 million from billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, who alleged that Lawal demanded and collected the sum of $500,000 from him.
Otedola said Lawan demanded the bribe so that he could facilitate the removal of the name of his oil company from the list of indicted companies in the fuel subsidy scam of 2012.
While Lawan was initially convicted on all counts, he was however cleared of bribery on an appeal by the court which held that the prosecution failed to prove that he (Lawan) demanded and agreed to accept the sum from Otedola to exonerate his company from the list of indicted firms.
Lawan was convicted on the three count charges preferred against him by the federal government with a sentence of five years each for the first two counts, and seven years for the last count, all to run concurrently.
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court had sentenced him to seven years in prison but the Court of Appeal in Abuja reduced the jail term to five years.
Beginning of a new chapter
Lawan’s freedom was made known in a statement he personally signed, on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
“Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life as I step out of Kuje Custodial Centre, with a heart full of gratitude to Allah SWT for seeing me through this trial.
“My gratitude is deep, I’m alive and in good health and high spirits to be with my family, friends and associates. I don’t take that for granted.
“I remain grateful and indebted to my family and friends who stood by me through this particularly trying phase of my life. May Allah SWT bless you,” Lawan said in the statement.
