THE Federal Government today reopens the trial of ex- Chairman, House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Farouk Lawan and its ex-Secretary, Boniface Emenalo, for allegedly obtaining $620,000 from Forte Oil Chairman Femi Otedola.
Lawan and Emenalo were first arraigned on a seven-count before Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, Abuja, on February 2, 2013.
They were, in the charge filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Commission (ICPC), accused of receiving the $620, 000 from Otedola, ostensibly to exclude the names of Otedola’s companies – Zenon Petroleum and Gas as well as Synopsis Enterprises Limited – from the list of firms found to have allegedly defrauded the Federal Government of billions of naira in the petroleum subsidy scam, which their committee was investigating.
Before trial could begin, Lawan and Emenalo appealed the decision of a High Court that the prosecution established a prima facie case against them.
On May 12, 2014, the Court of Appeal, Abuja, dismissed their appeal.
But proceedings was again stalled, as Justice Oniyangi was elevated to the Court of Appeal, prompting the court’s chief judge to reassign the case to Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Gudu Division of the High Court of the FCT.
Lawan and Emenalo compelled Justice Banjoko to withdraw from the case when they wrote a petition and filed a motion against her, alleging that she was likely to be biased.
The Nation learnt yesterday that the case had been reassigned to Justice Angela Otaluka of the High Court of the FCT in Lugbe, Abuja. HE Federal Government today reopens the trial of ex- Chairman, House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Farouk Lawan and its ex-Secretary, Boniface Emenalo, for allegedly obtaining $620,000 from Forte Oil Chairman Femi Otedola.
Lawan and Emenalo were first arraigned on a seven-count before Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, Abuja, on February 2, 2013.
They were, in the charge filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Commission (ICPC), accused of receiving the $620, 000 from Otedola, ostensibly to exclude the names of Otedola’s companies – Zenon Petroleum and Gas as well as Synopsis Enterprises Limited – from the list of firms found to have allegedly defrauded the Federal Government of billions of naira in the petroleum subsidy scam, which their committee was investigating.
Before trial could begin, Lawan and Emenalo appealed the decision of a High Court that the prosecution established a prima facie case against them.
On May 12, 2014, the Court of Appeal, Abuja, dismissed their appeal.
But proceedings was again stalled, as Justice Oniyangi was elevated to the Court of Appeal, prompting the court’s chief judge to reassign the case to Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Gudu Division of the High Court of the FCT.
Lawan and Emenalo compelled Justice Banjoko to withdraw from the case when they wrote a petition and filed a motion against her, alleging that she was likely to be biased.
The Nation learnt yesterday that the case had been reassigned to Justice Angela Otaluka of the High Court of the FCT in Lugbe, Abuja.