A prosecution witness, Mr. David Igbodo, has narrated to a Federal High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, what he termed a sting operation that exposed the then Chairman, House of Representatives ad hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, Mr. Farouk Lawan, accepting a bribe from billionaire businessman, Mr. Femi Otedola.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission is prosecuting Lawan on three counts of corrupt collection of $500,000 out of a $3m bribe he requested from Otedola.
Lawan was accused of accepting the bribe in exchange for the removal of the company of Otedola, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, from the list of firms indicted by the House committee for allegedly abusing the fuel subsidy regime in 2012.
Igbodo, a commissioner of police in the office of the Inspector-General of Police, Special Investigation Unit, said Lawan was caught on a video clip receiving $500,000 from Otedola.
The witness, who was led in evidence by the lead prosecuting counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), said the video recorder was set up as part of a sting operation by the Department of State Services.
He told the trial judge, Justice Angela Otaluka, that the video clip was recorded at Otedola’s residence on April 24, 2012.
He said after receiving the bribe, Lawan went ahead to remove the name of Zenon Oil from the list of firms indicted by the ad hoc committee of the House.
The witness said, “I found out that on April 24, 2012 at about 3:47am, the defendant was in the house of Otedola and was given the sum of $500, 000 and was caught on video due to the sting operation by the DSS.
“The purpose of the demand and acceptance was to remove the name of Zenon Oil and AP Petroleum from the list of indicted companies.
“On the same April 24, 2012, the defendant after collecting the sum at the house of Otedola, crossed out the name of Zenon Oil earlier indicted in a report before the committee at the House of Representatives.
“To my findings, the defendant (Lawan) admitted collecting the $500, 000. He admitted he went to the house of Femi Otedola and collected the sum of $500,000, crossed out the name of Zenon from the list.
The witness also told the court that Farouk admitted collecting the money and giving it to another member of the House named Adams Jagaba, who was the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Narcotics and Financial Crimes.
The witness said his investigation also revealed that the first prosecution witness, Mr. Boniface Emenalo, who was the secretary to the ad hoc committee, also visited Otedola on April 24, 2012 between 9am and 10am, and was caught on video collecting $100,000 from Otedola.
Emenalo was initially arraigned as a co-accused alongside Lawan but the charges were later amended to remove Emenalo from the charges as a co-accused.
Emenalo was then turned into a prosecution witness.
Igbodo said, “I found out that the $100,000 he collected from Otedola was given to the defendant (Lawan).”
He said Lawan did not report the money from Otedola to any security agency before and after collecting it.
Justice Otaluka adjourned the case till May 30. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Goat chop Goat.
ReplyDeleteWhat goes up must come down.
There was a giver and a receiver, why has much emphasis on this issue been only on the receiver and not both?
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