The Supreme Court has affirmed the five-year jail term handed to a former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan by the Court of Appeal.
Lawan was jailed on Tuesday, January 22, 2021 after being found guilty of soliciting bribe from billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, during the probe of fuel subsidy in 2012.
Lawan was the chairman of the house of representatives ad hoc committee probing the multi-billion naira petrol subsidy under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
Otedola had accused Lawan of making a demand of $3 million for Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, his company, to be delisted from companies being probed.
Delivering judgment on Friday, January 26, a five-member panel of the apex court unanimously dismissed the appeal filed by Lawan and upheld the verdict of the court of appeal.
In the lead judgment prepared by Justice John Okoro, but read on Friday by Justice Tijjani Abubakar, the apex count found that Lawan’s appeal was without merit and proceeded to dismiss it.
