Last updated on January 19th, 2022 at 12:25 pm
Business mogul and billionaire Femi Otedola has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that DSS arranged $500, 000 which was used to nail Farouk Lawan as a bribe.
Farouk was a former member of the House of Representatives Farouk Lawan, who represented Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency of Kano State at the National Assembly.
Otedola said the $500,000 offered to the accused was from the Department of State Service (DSS). He made a statement as a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Lawan.
Farouk was one of the most outspoken lawmakers who opposed corruption and he’s feared by his fellow men in the floor of the House. He’s called Mr Integrity, for leading a protest that led to the resignation of Olubunmi Etteh, former female speaker of the House.
He said the money was given to him by the DSS to set a trap for Lawan after he wrote a petition against him.
Femi Otedola accused Lawan of demanding $3, 000, 000 as a bribe from him to exonerate his oil company, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, from the alleged subsidy scam in 2012.
The business mogul told the court that the 500,000 dollars as part payment of the 3 million dollars being demanded by Lawan, which was eventually given to him under the supervision of the DSS.
Otedola said he petitioned the DSS immediately Lawan demanded for the bribe.
“Lawan said he was going to exonerate my company after giving him the money, security cameras were mounted in my living room to capture the exchange of money between me and the defendant.
“The video is with the DSS, the money was given to him in two tranches $250,000 each,” he said.
When reminded by Chief Ozekhome, that the best time “to catch a thief is when the operation is ongoing,” Otedola said he did not know why DSS failed to arrest Lawan at that moment, PM News reported.
The case has been adjourned till March 8 for the continuation of cross-examination of the prosecution witness.
Lawan is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) for allegedly collecting 500,000 dollars out of 3 million dollars bribe.
The money was said to have been requested to remove Otedola’s company’s name from the list of firms indicted by the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy in 2012.
Lawan was former Chairman of the House Committee on Finance under former Speaker Aminu Bello Masari. He identifies his legislative interests as “Appropriation, Information and Education”.
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