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Bribery: Court sentences former lawmaker, Farouk Lawan to seven years in prison

An Abuja High Court has sentenced a former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan to seven years in prison.

Lawan, during trial on Tuesday was found guilty of count one, two, and three bothering on corruptly asking for and obtaining same from Femi Otedola, in order to exonerate Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited from the list of companies in the fuel subsidy scam.

Count one stated that the former chairman of the House of Reps ad-hoc committee on Petroleum Subsidy regime corruptly asked the Chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, Femi Otedola, for a bribe of $3 million as an inducement to remove the name of his company from the report of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on monitoring of fuel subsidy regime.

The presiding judge, Justice Angela Otaluka, noted that the evidence listed and submitted before the court by the prosecution counsel, remain unshaken during cross-examination.

The judge also noted that the conduct, responses, and submissions of the defendant and witnesses, in this case, establish the charge in the count.

Count two stated that the defendant collected the sum of $500,000 as a bribe to exonerate Zelon petroleum and gas from the fuel subsidy probe report.

Justice Otaluka added that the defendant demanded a balance of payment, after receiving the first and second tranche of the payment, and as at the early hours of 24th April 2012 when the accused received the second tranche, no complaint was made to any security agency or anti-corruption agencies, as he claims he accepted the money to show as evidence before the house.

The judge further said the defendant failed to convince the court that his acceptance of the said bribe was to serve as evidence before the House Committee that the Chairman of Zelon Petroleum wants to bribe the Committee involved in the probe.

For count one and two the court sentenced Lawan to seven years while for count three he was sentenced to five years.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

The court also ordered that the defendant return the sum of $500,000 to the Federal Government.

A case of bribery and corruption the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) levelled against a judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Mohammed Yinusa, has been dismissed by a Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State.

The trial judge, Justice Sherifat Solebo, said that since Justice Yinusa still serves as a sitting judge, “he is immune from any criminal prosecution.”

The EFCC had levelled a 9-count charge of attempted perversion of the course of justice and corruption against Yinusa.

The commission claimed that Yinusa in 2015 had constant and confidential communications with a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ricky Tarfa, who was handling three lawsuits before him.

According to the anti-graft agency, Yinusa allegedly collected a N1.5 million bribe from Tarfa for the purpose of giving favourable rulings and judgments in the cases.

Justice Yinusa was equally said to have allegedly received N750,000 from a former SAN, Mr Joseph Nwobike, between March 2015 and September, 2015, to get “favourable” judgment in some cases.

The Federal High Court judge was charged alongside the second defendant, Esther Agbo, an employee of Rickey Tarfa and Co..

Esther, according to the EFCC on May 14, 2015 allegedly paid the N1.5 million from Tarfa into Yunusa’s UBA account.

When the matter resumed on Monday, Counsel to the 2nd defendant, Mr Olusegun Odubela (SAN) told the court that the 1st Defendant’s counsel, Professor Yemi Akinseye-George (SAN) wrote to the National Judicial Council (NJC) for a review of the report recommending Justice Yinusa’s suspension.

Odubela said the NJC set up another committee to consider the recommendations upon which the 1st Defendant, Justice Yinusa was suspended.

He said that at the NJC’s 93rd meeting held on December 17, 2020 that a report of the review committee was submitted and accepted based on which the NJC lifted the suspension of Justice Yinusa and directed that he should return to work.

He added that the NJC on December 23, 2020 wrote to the chief judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho to convey its decision to lift the suspension of the 1st Defendant following which the CJ himself conveyed the information to Justice Yinusa via a letter written on the 11th of Jan. 2021.

He told the trial judge that the letter was tendered in court and accepted as an exhibit with no objections from the EFCC Counsel, Mr Wahab Shittu.

Odubela said with the development, and in the light of the court of appeal decision in the case of Nganjiwa Vs Fed.Republic of Nigeria, that the court should strike out the name of Justice Yinusa from the charge before it.

Counsel to EFCC Shittu objected to Odubela’s prayer arguing that it was misplaced.

But ruling on the matter, Justice Solebo said that in view of the exhibit tendered before the court showing that Justice Yinusa is still a sitting judge, he is immune from any criminal prosecution.

She, therefore struck out his name from the charge and discharged him.

The judge asked the EFCC to amend the charge against the second defendant, Esther Agbo and adjourned the matter till January 26.