AN FCT High Court on Tuesday sentenced former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, to seven years imprisonment for collecting 500 thousand dollars bribe. The trial of the former federal lawmaker took nine years before his conviction on Tuesday.
Justice Angela Otaluka, the trial judge, in her judgment also ordered Lawan to restitute the 500, thousand dollars.
The EFCC charged Lawan with collecting 500 thousand dollars of a three million dollars bribe he solicited from Femi Otedola to drop his company from the investigation over allegations of subsidy fraud which an adhoc committee set up by the House of Representatives was probing in in 2012.
Lawan chaired the committee that produced the fuel scam report, accusing some importers of petroleum products of massive corruption.
Justice Otaluka found the former federal lawmaker guilty of all the three counts of bribery.
In her judgment, Justice Otaluka noted that from the pool of evidence before the court, the prosecuting lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, had established a case of corrupt practice against Lawan in Count One of the charge that borders on corruptly requesting a bribe of three million dollars.
“Count One of the charges is not based on suspicion but on credible evidence. The defendant (Mr Lawan) corruptly asked for three million dollars and received a $500,000 bribe in two tranches from Femi Otedola.
“Count One of the charges is not based on suspicion but on credible evidence. The defendant corruptly asked for three million dollars and received a 500,000 dollars bribe in two tranches from Femi Otedola.
“The conduct of the defendant established the ingredients of corruption which he was charged to court, as he did not report any case of inducement to any law enforcement agency,” Justice Otaluka said as she dismissed Lawan’s claim that he received the $500,000 to obtain proof of moves by Mr Otedola to induce him and members of his committee.
