by Akan Ido

The Federal Government has opted to file corruption charges against the former Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on fuel subsidy probe, Farouk Lawan.

The FG has filed a 7-count criminal charge against Lawan and the former secretary of the committee, Boniface Emenalo.

See the Daily Times report below:

The former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Education, Farouk Lawan will be arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before the Federal Capital Territory High court 4 Abuja.

It would be recalled that Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), had earlier informed that Lawan, who was also the Chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on the Monitoring of the Fuel Subsidy Scheme, had been accused by the Chairman of Zenon Oil and Gas Limited, Femi Otedola, of demanding and accepting a bribe of $620,000 to alter the report of the committee, in which Zenon had been indicted.

It would further recalled that Lagos based oil magnate Femi Otedola has floored the former chairman House ad hoc Committee on fuel subsidy probe Hon. Farouk Lawan in the N250B harassment, intimidation and business losses suit he instituted against the two lawmakers.

An Abuja High Court upheld Otedola’s case against Tambuwal and Farouk Lawan and ordered them to file their defence immediately while dismissing their two separate objections to the legal action. Lawan had objected to hearing of Otedola’s case on the ground that they are protected by House Immunity and cannot be taken to Court for either civil or criminal matters on any of their actions on the floor of the House.

They asked the Court to dismiss the suit for being too hasty because the House has not adopted the report on the subsidy probe and that there had been no white paper yet on it. The two defendants also contended that being agents of the House, they can only be sued at a Federal High Court because the House is an organ of the Federal Government and as such no Abuja High Court has jurisdiction on the suit.

In the objections argued by Chief Mike Ahamba SAN for Tambuwal and Kehinde Ogunwumiju for Farouk, they claimed that Otedola freely gave out the bribe and cannot turn around to allege harassment and intimidation against them.

Besides, the lawmakers said that Otedola’s case cannot be sustained since he did not join the National Assembly and Clerk of the National Assembly as defendants.
But in his ruling, Justice Peter Kekemeke upheld the submission of Chief Babajide Koku SAN, counsel to Otedola that Tambuwal and Farouk Lawan cannot use House Immunity as escape route to shield themselves from legal action for wrongful acts carried against the plaintiff outside the confinement of the House.

The Judge agreed with Koku that it was not part of the terms of reference of Farouk Committee to source for bribe from anybody and as such cannot hide under the Immunity conferred on them while on the floor of the House to void the case.