$500k bribe: Supreme Court Upholds ex-lawmaker, Farouk Lawan’s Jail Term 

The Supreme Court today, 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.

Dissatisfied with Justice Otaluka’s division, Lawan approached the appellate court where his jail term was reduced from seven to five years.

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

Source – Punch

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