A former member, House of Representatives, Honourable Farouk Lawan, today, for the third time, failed to open his defence in his ongoing trial over an alleged bribery allegation levelled against him by the government
Lawan, who was the chairman of House Ad hoc Committee on Petroleum Subsidy Regime in 2012, was dragged before Justice Angela Otaluka of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting at Apo, Abuja, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), on behalf of the Federal Government.
The former lawmaker was alleged to have demanded the sum of $3million for himself from the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, Femi Otedola.
He was alleged to have collected $620,000 out of the amount with a view to removing Otedola’s companies’ names from the list of firms indicted by the ad hoc committee for allegedly abusing the fuel subsidy regime in 2012.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the offence.
Justice Otaluka had on October 17, 2019, ordered the former lawmaker to enter his defence, having overruled the no-case submission made on his behalf by his counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome SAN.
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Lawan had told the court on January 28 that one of his witnesses, Babangida Abubakar, who was scheduled to testify for him that day, lost his brother to the dreaded Lassa fever in Kano on January 26 and sought for an adjournment to enable him to bring his witnesses.
He, however, failed to do so on February 11, when the case was adjourned to.
The former lawmaker, through Benson Igbanoi, who held the brief of Ozekhome, informed that he was applying for a subpoena to compel a former member of the House of Representatives and Abubakar to come to court to testify for him.
However, on the resumption of the case today, Godwin Iyinbor, who held Ozekhome’s brief, informed that the defence was yet to serve the subpoena on the two witnesses.
He, therefore, asked for an adjournment to enable the defence do the needful by mobilising the court bailiff to serve the subpoena on the witnesses.
However, Fatogun Eyitayo, holding the brief of Chief Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, the prosecution counsel, opposed the application for adjournment.
According to him, at the last adjourned date on February 11, the adjournment till today was at the instance of the defence, adding that the court indicated that day that the adjournment would be the last to be granted the defendant.
Justice Otaluka, however, stated that the failure of the defence to serve the subpoena applied for was deliberate.
The judge, however, adjourned the case till March 19 for defence.
and then