SAN FRANCISCO, June 11, (THEWILL) – It is not yet Uhuru for Hon. Farouk Lawan, the former Chairman, House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Regime and the Committee’s Secretary, Boniface Emenalo , as they were re-arraigned Wednesday before Justice Adebukola Banjoko at a Federal High Court sitting in Gudu, Abuja over allegation of receiving the sum of $620,000 as bribe from oil magnate and Chairman, Zenon Oil and Gas, Femi Otedola.
The bribe was allegedly collected to exclude Otedola’s companies – Zenon Petroleum and Gas and Synopsis Enterprises Limited, from the list of companies found to have allegedly defrauded the Federal Government of billions of naira in the fuel subsidy scam.
The duo, who are facing a seven-count charge bordering on bribery and abuse of office in relation to the alleged bribe, had been arraigned on the same charge before Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi (formerly of the Abuja High Court, Maitama) .
However, Justice Oniyangi, who was latter elevated to the Court of Appeal some months ago, could not continue with the case, hence the transfer of the case to a new judge – Justice Banjoko – before whom the accused persons took their fresh pleas Wednesday.
Lead prosecution counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), informed the court Wednesday, when the case was called, that the the accused persons were to plead to the charge afresh.
And when asked by the presiding judge if there was any application pending at the Court of Appeal in relation to the case, Awomolo replied in the negative, a position the lead defence lawyer, Olusegun Jolaawo, also concurred with.
Lawan and Emenalo however pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them by an official of the court,
The defence lawyer also appealed to the court to allow the accused persons continue to enjoy the bail earlier granted them by the former trial judge, an application the prosecution counsel did not object . But the judge insisted on seeing the three men, who stood surety for the accused persons before the earlier bail was granted, to know if they were still willing to stand sureties for them.
At that juncture, the case was stood down to allow the sureties, who were not in court, to physically appear in court. The proceedings resumed about an hour later when the three sureties appeared in the court to confirm that they were still willing to remain sureties for the accused.
In his ruling, Justice Banjoko ordered Lawan and Emenalo to remain on the earlier bail granted by Justice Oniyangi and adjourned to July 7 for further hearing. It would be recalled that Justice Oniyangi had earlier refused the suspects’ application to quash the charges against them as he held that they had a case to answer.
