On Thursday, the National Council of State granted a state pardon to former Kano lawmaker Farouk Lawan.
Mr Lawan was jailed for taking bribes while serving as the chairman of a House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating the fraud around the fuel subsidy regime in 2012.
The former lawmaker is among four ex-convicts President Bola Tinubu pardoned: Anastasia Nwaobia, Hussaini Umar, and Ayinla Alanamu. Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said, “They were pardoned to enable them to integrate into society, having demonstrated sufficient remorse.”
Mr Lawan was convicted of receiving a $500,000 bribe from Femi Otedola, a businessman. Mr Lawan was accused of demanding $3 million to remove Mr Otedola’s firms from the list of companies indicted for fuel subsidy fraud.
He represented the Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency of Kano State at the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2015.
Ironically, the former lawmaker was called Mr Integrity for his assertive anti-corruption posturing in the House.
Mr Lawan’s ad hoc committee indicted Mr Otedola’s Zenon Oil and Gas Ltd and many other firms for fraud.
The committee said Zenon Oil had fraudulently obtained over $230 million from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to import petrol under the subsidy scheme, but did not import the fuel.
Mr Lawan later removed Zenon Oil’s name from the list of indicted firms after receiving $500,000 from Mr Otedola as the first tranche of a negotiated $3 million bribe.
Both men later claimed that they gave or received the money as evidence of a bribe against each other.
However, Mr Otedola said he reported to Mr Lawan’s demand to the State Security Service (SSS), which asked him to play along. He said the SSS organised a sting operation that captured the legislator collecting the bribe on video.
Mr Lawan, on his part, insisted that he collected the money as evidence against Mr Otedola, but admitted he did not report to any law enforcement agency.
The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, though a private prosecutor, Adegboyega Awomolo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, charged Mr Lawan with the first two counts under section 18(1)(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and the third count under section 17(1)(a) of the same law.
Journey through courts
In her judgement delivered on 22 June 2021, the judge, Angela Otaluka of the FCT High Court, convicted Mr Lawan on all three charges filed by the government.
In February 2022, the Court of Appeal affirmed Mr Lawan’s conviction but exonerated him on two counts and reduced his seven-year imprisonment to two years.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court affirmed the conviction.
Last October, Mr Lawan was released from prison after serving five years.
The former lawmaker is among four ex-convicts President Bola Tinubu pardoned: Anastasia Nwaobia, Hussaini Umar, and Ayinla Alanamu. Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said, “They were pardoned to enable them to integrate into society, having demonstrated sufficient remorse.”
Mr Lawan was convicted of receiving a $500,000 bribe from Femi Otedola, a businessman. Mr Lawan was accused of demanding $3 million to remove Mr Otedola’s firms from the list of companies indicted for fuel subsidy fraud.
He represented the Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency of Kano State at the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2015.
Ironically, the former lawmaker was called Mr Integrity for his assertive anti-corruption posturing in the House.
Mr Lawan’s ad hoc committee indicted Mr Otedola’s Zenon Oil and Gas Ltd and many other firms for fraud.