Former House of Representatives member from Kano State, Hon. Farouk Lawan has been confirmed to spend his jail term by the Supreme Court on Friday, dismissing appeal he filed asking the apex court to review jail sentence against him by the lower Court of $500,00 bribe.
The former lawmaker was jailed for collecting bribe of $500,000 from a Lagos business mogul, Femi Michael Otedola when he was a member of the House of Representatives. He was imprisoned for seven years by a Federal Capital Territory High Court.
The FCT High Court delivered judgment saying that the former lawmaker used his position as Chairman of the House’s ad-hoc committee investigating the fuel subsidy fraud in 2012 to demand and collected $500,000 bribe.
The trial judge, Angela Otaluka, held that Lawan demanded $3m and received $500,000 from Femi 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.
She also held that Lawan was guilty of all three counts of corruption and bribery.
Not satisfied, Lawan approached the appellate court where his jail term was reduced from seven to five years.
Supreme Court declined Lawan’s request to set aside the judgments of the lower Court against him in a judgment that was delivered by Justice Tijani Abubakar.
