Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi of an Abuja High Court sitting at Maitama, yesterday, declined to halt further hearing on the criminal charge that was preferred against the former Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on fuel subsidy probe, Farouk Lawal, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
Refusing to hands-off the trial, Justice Oniyangi, ordered both Farouk and the erstwhile Secretary of the probe committee, Mr. Boniface Emenalo, to appear before the high court on November 27.
The duo had in a consolidated application they filed through their counsel, Chief Ricky Tarfa, SAN, sought for the stay of proceeding on their trial until the Abuja Division of the Appeal Court, decides on an appeal they have lodged before it which is challenging jurisdiction of the court to try them.
Specifically, Farouk and Emenalo were accused of demanding and collecting bribe from the Chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, Otedola, as an inducement to remove the name of his company from the report of the House of Reps Ad-hoc committee on monitoring of fuel subsidy regime.
ICPC alleged that they demanded an aggregate sum of $3 million, with a view to ensuring that the company escaped prosecution even though the probe committee had ab-initio found it culpable in fuel subsidy fraud.
Farouk was said to have pocketed the sum of $620,000 as part payment for the illegal deal.
The anti-graft agency further alleged that Emenalo, while being a public officer, an Assistant Director and Clerk of the Committee on Education of the House of Reps, sometime in April 2012, while acting as the Secretary of the Ad-hoc Committee, was offered gratification by Otedola but failed to report the offer to any officer of the ICPC or any police officer.
The offence according to ICPC is contrary to section 17 (1) (a), section 8(1) (a) (b) (ii), and section 23 (i) of the Corrupt practices and other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under section 8 (1) 17 (1) and 23(3) of the same Act.
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