Former chairman of the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee on fuel subsidy probe, in 2012 and a high ranking member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Mr. Farouk Lawan, (Mr Integrity), has been remanded in prison custody on the order of an Abuja High Court.
Secretary of the Committee, Mr. Emenalo Boniface was also remanded in Kuje prison.
He was arraigned in Court 4 of the FCT High Court, Abuja on Friday over the allegation of collecting bribe and ‘soiling’ his hands when he chaired the committee set up by Nigerian House of Representatives to investigate the anomalies which characterized the fuel subsidy scam.
Mr. Lawan who has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1999 is to remain in prison custody till Friday February 8, 2013 when the case comes up for hearing.
The vocal lawmaker was sent to Prison alongside the secretary of his committee, Mr Emenalo Boniface. They are to remain in the prison to next Friday when their bail application is expected to be determined.
The two men are being tried for contravening the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offence Commission (ICPC) Act by allegedly receiving a bribe of $620, 000 from Lagos businessman, Mr. Femi Otedola, to remove his company, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd from the list of companies indicted in the fuel subsidy scam.
‘Mr. Integrity’ had earlier denied not receiving any bribe but later confirmed that he collected the said money as evidence of attempt to bribe him and his committee.
Social commentators were however taken aback by the action of the government that arraigned only the two legislators without dragging Mr. Otedola along though they gave kudos to the government for been able to try the high ranking honourable member despite all insinuations.
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