Supreme Court upholds 5-year jail term for Farouk Lawan in bribery case

On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal lodged by former House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan, challenging the rulings of the lower court that had sentenced him to imprisonment.

Lawan had been sentenced by a Federal Capital Territory High Court to seven years in prison for accepting a $500,000 bribe while serving as the chairman of the House’s ad-hoc committee investigating the fuel subsidy fraud in 2012.

The trial judge, Angela Otaluka, found Lawan guilty of demanding $3 million and receiving $500,000 from Femi Otedola in 2012 to remove Otedola’s oil company, Zenon Oil and Gas, from the list of firms implicated in fraud related to the fuel subsidy regime. Otaluka also determined Lawan’s guilt on all three counts of corruption and bribery.

Unsatisfied with the verdict, Lawan appealed to a higher court, where his prison sentence was reduced from seven to five years. Lawan subsequently brought the case to the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn the judgments of the lower court.

In delivering the lead judgment, Justice Tijani Abubakar upheld the decision of the appellate court and dismissed Lawan’s appeal.