An FCT High Court in Jabi on Wednesday dismissed an application by the Federal Government objecting to the reassignment of a case of alleged bribery against former chairman of the House of Representatives Adhoc committee on fuel subsidy, Farouk Lawan.
Lawan was standing trial before Justice Angela Otaluka of the court’s Lugbe division, before the matter was transferred to Jabi by the court’s Chief Judge, Justice Ishaq Bello upon an application by Lawan requesting the judge to recuse herself from further hearing the case because of perceived bias.
Ruling on FG’s objection to the transfer of the case file from Lugbe to Jabi today, Justice Yusuf Halilu held that the prosecution’s application lacked merit.
He said the Chief Judge owe no one in discharging his judicial role of reassigning the matter, adding that there is nowhere in law that provides that the Chief Judge must disclose the outcome of any investigation before he transfer any case.
He, therefore, ruled that the case would now be held in his court in line with the CJ’s directives.
Following the ruling, prosecution counsel, Jude Odi, applied for an adjournment to enable him take instruction from the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN), before the re-arraignment of Lawan.
Overruling the objection of the defence counsel, Sekop Zumba, the judge adjourned the matter to October 24 for arraignment of the defendant.
Lawan is accused of allegedly demanding and receiving bribe from the Chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, Femi Otedola, in exchange for the removal of Otedola’s companies’ names from the list of firms indicted by the House committee for allegedly abusing the fuel subsidy regime in 2012.
