$620, 000 bribe: Keyamo threatens criminal action against Farouk

Category: News Published on Thursday, 17 January 2013 06:00 Written by John Chuks Azu

Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, has demanded the immediate arraignment of Representative Farouk Lawan over the alleged $620,000 bribe scandal that broke last June between him and businessman Femi Otedola.

In a statement yesterday, Keyamo threatened to file a criminal action in the court against Lawan at the expiration of one week ultimatum to bring him to justice.

He regretted the inability of the police to charge the matter to court by giving impression that it is only the office of the Attorney General of the Federation that can give it directives to that effect. He alleged that the affair has been reduced to politics rather than crime with the aim of diverting public attention.

Meanwhile, an Abuja High Court will on January 30 deliver ruling on a Preliminary Objection filed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, and the former committee chairman of the fuel subsidy probe Farouk Lawan, challenging the suit by Otedola, who is the owner of Zenon Oil and Gas Ltd, over the move to relist his company among those indicted in the alleged fuel subsidy fraud.

Defence counsels Mike Ahamba (SAN) and Kehinde Ogunwumiju Esq had argued that under section 3 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act, 2004 “no civil or criminal proceedings may be instituted against any member of a Legislative House on words spoken on the floor of the House and/or words written in a report to the House of Representative or its Committee.”