Dollar In Cap Lawmaker, Farouk Lawan Jailed 7 Years For Bribery
Funke Busari
Former Chairman of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee probing the multi-billion naira fuel subsidy fraud in 2012, Farouk Lawan has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for demanding three million dollars bribe from a Nigerian billionaire oil tycoon, Mr. Femi Otedola.
Mr. Lawan was handed down the judgement on Tuesday by a High court judge in Abuja, Justice Angela Otaluka.
Mr. Lawan was charged for demanding $3 million bribe out of which he received $500,000 from Otedola, to remove his firms from the list of companies indicted for oil subsidy fraud by the House committee.
Lawan was the chairman of an ad hoc committee set up by the House in 2012 to investigate massive petrol subsidy fraud.
The committee found some oil companies culpable of defrauding the Federal Government via spurious subsidy claims.
Zenon Petroleum and Gas Company, belonging to Mr. Otedola, was also found culpable.
He was later to be accused of receiving bribe to clear some companies.
