The Supreme Court on Friday has upheld the conviction of disgraced former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan.
Recall that a Federal Capital Territory High Court had sentenced Lawan to seven years imprisonment for receiving a $500,000 bribe from businessman Femi Otedola, 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 was guilty of all three counts of corruption and bribery. She said he demanded $3m and received $500,000 from 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.
Not satisfied, Lawan approached the appellate court where his jail term was reduced from seven to five years.
However, Justice Tijani Abubakar, who read the lead judgement dismissed the appeal.
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