Reps $620,000 bribe panel submits report next week

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House of Representatives is expected to receive the report of its Committee on Ethics and Privileges on the investigation into the $620,000 bribery allegation next week.

The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, said this in Abuja on Thursday while speaking with reporters.

A four-time member of the House and suspended Chairman of the Committee on Education, Mr. Farouk Lawan, was a principal actor in the controversial transaction involving him and  businessman, Mr. Femi Otedola.

Otedola had alleged that Lawan collected $620,000 bribe from him.

He claimed that this was part of negotiations Lawan initiated in the guise of delisting two of his (Otedola’s) firms from the list of companies indicted for fuel subsidy fraud.

Lawan was the  head of the Ad-hoc Committee on Monitoring of the subsidy Regime, which the House set up in January to probe the fuel subsidy scam.

It referred Otedola’s allegation to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges in June for investigation in line with the standing rules of the House.

The police are also conducting a criminal investigation into the matter, but had  yet to arraign anybody in connection with the $620,000.

Mohammed had asked a member of the Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Mr. Victor Ogene, to clarify the extent of work done by the committee.

Ogene told reporters that the committee had long concluded the investigation and was ready to present the report next week when lawmakers would have resumed from their  two-week break.

“The report is ready and it is a question of scheduling it for presentation as soon as we resume plenary on November 6,” Ogene added.

Although he did not give further details, but it was learnt  that a key recommendation of the panel would be that Lawan should be exonerated.

It was learnt that the panel headed by Mr. Gambo Musa  arrived at the decision after taking testimonies from many parties to the allegation.

However, it was said to have concluded that the “principal accuser (Otedola) refused” to testify before the panel.

A source, who was privy to the conclusions of the panel, told The PUNCH that the committee’s “view is that he who alleges must prove”.

The source added, “In this matter, it was Otedola, who alleged that he gave Lawan the money.

“When he was invited to testify, he declined to testify; instead he was dictating to an institution how it should conduct its affairs.

“Our interest as a House was for him to assist us to penalise our colleague, whose integrity was called to question by Otedola’s allegation.

“If he cannot prove his allegation, then your guess on the committee’s recommendation is as good as mine.”

However, the source clarified that the finding of the committee had nothing to do with the “separate investigation being conducted into the same matter by the police.”

The Punch