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Court adjourns Lawan, Otedola case

By Oludare Richards, Abuja
14 April 2016   |   12:43 am
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja yesterday adjourned the trial of Farouk Lawan, former chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, as the prosecution failed to produce its witness...

Law

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja yesterday adjourned the trial of Farouk Lawan, former chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, as the prosecution failed to produce its witness before the court.

The prosecution team, led by Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), on behalf of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), was scheduled to produce its second prosecution witness but had informed the court yesterday that it could not produce the witness required to proceed on the trial.

Mr. Olajide Olaleye, who appeared for the prosecution told the court: “The matter was though adjourned till today for the prosecution to present its second witness, all efforts to get our witness ready for today proved unsuccessful.”

The prosecution proceeded to apply for adjournment till the 18th of May, 2016. Mr. Olalekan Ojo, who appeared for the defendant raised no objection to the application for adjournment by the prosecution.

Justice Angela Otaluka, therefore adjourned the matter till May 18, 2016. The trial judge appealed to the prosecution to provide its witness at the resumption of the trial.

The judge had adjourned the matter from April 12 (Monday) to April 13 (yesterday) after receiving the testimony of the first prosecution witness (PW1), Emenalo Boniface, who had given account of how Zenon Oil and Gas Limited, owned by Femi Otedola, allegedly got $232,975,385.13 from the Federal Government over subsidy claims, but did not make available the petroleum products.

Farouk Lawan is on trial for allegedly obtaining $620,000 bribe money from Otedola, chairman of Forte Oil.

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