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Already there are speculations that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have invited Hon Lawan over the bribery allegation which sources say have already resulted in the Speaker of the House Hon. Aminu Tambuwal disowning the legislator over the messy incident.
It was gathered that Tambuwal had confronted Lawan over the issue in a meeting of Principal officers of the House where the Chairman of the Adhoc Committee on Petroleum Subsidy was summoned to defend himself over the allegation.
Sources said that Hon. Lawan had initially denied the allegation when it was put to him by the Speaker but froze in shock when he was confronted with details of what transpired at the address where officials of an unnamed oil company had given him the huge amount of foreign currency which had been marked.
It was further gathered that unknown to Hon Lawan, the entire incident was recorded by video after which copies were sent to a former Head of State who handed it over to Tambuwal.
It would be recalled that in the wake of the controversy that was generated over the Federal Government’s planned total withdrawal of subsidy from petroleum products last January, the House of Representatives set up the Adhoc Committee to probe how the subsidy fund that was appropriated by the National Assembly in the past had been disbursed.
Among the findings of the House was that despite the fact that only N400 billion was appropriated for payment of oil subsidy in 2011, over one trillion naira was spent. It was also alleged that a lot of the payments were made to phoney companies.
It was learnt that the top player was indicted by the subsidy probe for allegedly collecting foreign exchange, without using same to import fuel but that the oil mangnate approached a member of the adhoc committee for succour.
A deal of $3million was said to have been struck, while the oil chief gave a cash of $600,000 for the job.
It was learnt that in fulfillment of the deal, the committee later removed the oil magnate’s name from the list of indicted companies in respect of alleged abuse of forex for oil imports.
Sources in the National Assembly confirmed that the heat was turned on the adhoc committee man some days ago when he got wind that the State Security Services(SSS) has tapes of his receipt of the bribe from the oil magnate and that the service was ready to confront the leadership of the House with the details.
The affected Rep was then said to have moved to ensure that the money was displayed on the floor of the House on Thursday after allegedly handing over the cash money he got from the oil magnate.
The plot, according to sources, was that the Rep wanted to claim that he got the money so as to play along with the bribery saga and that he was now sure the time was ripe to release the money.
Sources, however, said that the foreign currency handed over to the Rep were marked notes and that the security agencies were on top of the probe.
“There was a frenzy in the House on Thursday when the affected Rep attempted to cause the committee on anti-Corruption to display the money as evidence of attempts to bribe him but members resisted the move on the claim that the line of argument cannot be pushed because the man had kept the money for more than two months.
Besides, the Reps who, opposed the bid, were said to have claimed that the request for which the money was given was carried out on the floor.
Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, said in a telephone interview that he was not officially briefed on the interrogation of the Rep member by the EFCC in relation to the bribery saga, adding that he had left Abuja for Ilorin after the Thursday sitting.
Calls to the telephone number of the chairman of the Adhoc Committee, Hon, Farouk Lawan as well as that of the Chairman of the Standing Committee on EFCC, Hon. Jagaban Adams Jagaban were unanswered on Friday, just as the duo did not also respond to text messages.
EFCC spokesman, Mr. Wilson Ewujaren, however, pleaded for time for him to be in official capacity to confirm the development.
He said that he was having challenges reaching some key persons.
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HON.LAWAN FAROUK WHY DID YOU ALLOW YOURSELF THIS TYPE OF MESS.
ReplyDeleteThe development should not be a cover up for the crime committed by these oil marketers. GEJ should hurry and arraign these thieves. He (GEJ) is too slow for my liking and confused at the same time.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry Fatouk. It will just be a little inconvienience with a little verbal slap on the wrist like a naughy school boy and you will even be able to keep the money. Afterall, this is Nigeria where corruption is the creed that this nation's leaders, from GJ is sworn an oath to when you look at the mafia type system that churns them out to rule over us foolish docile masses that are pacified by going to church and singing 'we shall overcome' while the pastor makes you even more docile violates your finances so he can be another private jet owner, since Jesue rode into Jericho on a Concord plane. What mugus we are. It must be the mosquiotos that make us this way. Shame!
ReplyDeleteThat means the Report he submited to the house, is incoherent,and false report....
ReplyDeleteI can believe that Farouk Lawan can be involve in this type of mess. Meaning every Nigerian can be bought it just depend on the amount of money involve. God help this country.
ReplyDeleteFarouk Lawan you took all that money and hid it from sharing with your peers? What happened to the famous saying "honour amongst thieves". Obasanjo is no angel yet he is so shocked at the new rate of corruption by our political elites that he called you all in both housed armed robbers. Armed with a pen. Why was he not sued for libel? We all know why.
ReplyDeletehahahahaha,farouk of all reps? i know we are all been taken for a ride. non of our so called rulers beleive in nigeria. all they are interested is the oil money dat is been shared in Abuja. may God help us,Amen!!
ReplyDelete