$500,000 subsidy bribe : FG relays video evidence against Lawan

The Federal Government has relayed before Justice Angela Otaluka of a Federal Capital Territory High Court, Lugbe, Abuja the video evidence purportedly showing how former chairman of the House of Representatives Ad hoc committee on fuel subsidy, Farouk Lawan got some sums of money in Dollar currency from oil magnate and Chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, Femi Otedola.

Otedola is however due to testify before the court on Wednesday, May 10, 2017.

At the resumption of trial, the prosecution witness 3, an operative of the Department of State Service (DSS), David Ojatah who had earlier tendered before the court the secretly recorded video, was allowed to play the video clip, after the prosecution counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo SAN had sought the court to do so.
The video had Otedola inviting Lawan to a sitting room, where a parcel was handed over to him, while they engaged in a discussion over an issue, after which the duo left the room, a meeting that did not last up to two minutes.

While being led in evidence by the prosecution, Ojatah affirmed that the duo were Otedola and Lawan, and the meeting place was at Otedola’s house at Aso drive, Abuja.

During cross examination by Mike Ozekhome SAN, counsel to the defendant, Ojatah who had ben in the service of the DSS since 1992 with an HND in electronics/telecommunications engineering, said even though he had always known Lawan and a public figure he had never met him one on one before.

“The last time i came here, i informed the court that I was instructed to cover the meeting, after Femi Otedola wrote the DG DSS. My assignment was according to the instruction given to me, my section is not involved in interrogation and taking statement”, he told the court

The witness during cross examination further informed the court that, he arrived Otedola’s house on April 23, 2012 in company of a driver and two others to mount the device at about 10pm and came back on April 24, 2012 at about 5am to retrieve same after the meeting with LAwan, and then remounted it again at about 7am till 12noon after another meeting with Boniface Emenalo, secretary to the Ad Hoc committee.

However, when the witness was handed exhibit PW3A, a letter written by Otedola to the Director General of the DSS, in respect to allegations of demand for bribe and extortion against LAwan and Emenalo, it was revealed that the stamp which showed it was received by the DSS, had nothing like a signature or date of receipt on it.

Before the matter was adjourned till Wednesday, May 10, 2017, the defence moved a motion for it to recall Prosecution witness 2 (PW2), on the grounds that the defence was actually foreclosed, even before it finished with its cross examination of the PW2.

“We need to recall the witness because we have not finished and this is a criminal case that involves the liberty of a citizen of the country, because he is their star witness, we need to take him apart, a job we have started and we need to finish”, Ozokhome told the court.

In objecting to the application, Awomolo said : “Your Lordship should express your discretion on facts and not on speculations. the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) is not a license to overrule decisions taken by the court”.
Lawan had been standing trial before Justice Angela Otaluka of an FCT High Court Lugbe, having been alleged to have asked for the sum of $3,000,000 for himself from Otedola, Chairman, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited on account of intention to remove the name of the Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited from the Report of the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Monitoring of Fuel Subsidy Regime.