$620,000 bribe: Farouk Lawan finally in police net

Embattled Farouk Lawan, Chairman, House of Representatives’ fuel subsidy probe ad hoc committee, last night, reported himself to the police headquarters in Abuja.

According to the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, Lawan was being interrogated last night and could not say whether he will spend the night at the force headquarters, adding, “I don’t want to pre-empt investigation”.

Police were ready to declare Lawan wanted if he had not showed up yesterday.

Meanwhile, the presidency has denounced what it described as attempt by a section of the media to drag the person and office of the president into the on-going bribery scandal involving Farouk Lawan, Chairman of the House of Representatives’ fuel subsidy probe ad hoc committee and Femi Otedola, chairman of Zenon Oil.

In a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, the presidency said the attempt was not only “lame” but “diversionary”.

Abati, the presidential spokesman, stated that “the mischievous insinuation in today’s (Thursday) editions of the newspapers that the entire affair, in which the two key players have publicly confessed their roles, is part of a plot by President Goodluck Jonathan and the executive arm of government to unseat the leadership of the House of Representatives is totally false and baseless”.

The statement noted further that for the benefit of unwary members of the public who may be deceived by the political innuendoes now being woven into the subsidy probe bribe affair, President Jonathan wishes to affirm that he has absolutely no reason or desire to meddle in the affairs of the House of Representatives and its leadership.

“Neither the president nor anyone acting on his request or order has anything to do with the scandal that has sadly engulfed the House ad-hoc committee on fuel subsidy. The attempt to drag the presidency into the matter is entirely speculative and without factual foundation.

“Against the background of its avowed commitment to the effective prosecution of the war against corruption in Nigeria, the presidency notes with satisfaction, that given the seriousness of the scandal, the House of Representatives has already recalled its members from recess for a special session to deliberate on it tomorrow (friday).

“Recent developments notwithstanding, President Jonathan’s directive to the Attorney-General of the Federation on the report of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, as adopted by the House of Representatives, subsists and he fully expects that all those indicted in the report will be duly investigated and prosecuted if a prima facie case is established against them”, Abati said.

However, as the House of Representatives reconvenes today to deliberate on the $3 million fuel subsidy scandal, there are strong indications that regional sentiments may play up in the course of debate.
The special plenary session is to be beamed live on major television stations where lawmakers are to express their opinions.

Todaysgist.com, however, gathered that some of the lawmakers are already lobbying to ensure safe landing for the embattled lawmaker and one of the principal officers linked with the bribery scandal.

Meanwhile, one of the lawmakers linked with the bribery scandal, Jerry Alagbaoso, has denied involvement in the $3 million scandal as implied in an online news wire, which described him as the front man for the chairman of the ad hoc committee (Farouk Lawan).

Alagbaoso in a statement stated that he was neither a member of the ad hoc committee on oil subsidy investigating nor a front man to its chairman cum any member(s) as awashed in the media.

The informal meetings, according to sources, were held at different locations including private houses and guest houses in order to keep their deliberations from the media and the public.


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