Judge withdraws from $620,000 bribery case against Farouk Lawan

Many have forgotten about the Farouk Lawan/Femi Otedola $620,000 bribery scandal, and many more may just forget it with the latest development in the case. 

The latest is that Justice Adebukola Banjoko of a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Gudu, Abuja, has withdrawn from the case in which Lawan, a former Chairman, House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, is being prosecuted along with his secretary in the committee, Boniface Emenalo, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission.

Punch reports that “Justice Banjoko voluntarily withdrew from the case on Tuesday and ordered the case file to be returned to the FCT Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Bukar, despite the withdrawal of an application filed by Lawan on October 29, in which the lawmaker requested that she quit the case.

The judge said in her ruling that though the application had been withdrawn and the Chief Judge had cleared her of the allegation in Lawan’s petition, it (the allegation) remained a “scandalous challenge” of her integrity.

“In my 17 years on the bench, six years as a magistrate and 11 years as a judge, I have never been confronted with a scandalous challenge of my integrity,” the judge said”.

The withdrawal of the petition asking Justice Banjoko to quit the case, was announced at Tuesday’s proceedings by Lawan’s counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN).

While withdrawing the application against the Justice Banjoko, Ozekhome pleaded with her to overlook the wrong impression created by his client, Lawan. Lawan had personally petitioned the FCT Chief Judge, accusing Justice Banjoko of likely bias due to her alleged closeness to the Chairman, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, Mr. Femi Otedola, a proposed witness and the accuser in the case.

The prosecuting counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), also apologised on behalf of Lawan and begged the judge to continue with the case.

But even after denying her family’s closeness with Otedola, the judge turned down the request of both counsels. She said she could no longer continue with the case because the accused had expressed lack of confidence in her adding that “justice is rooted in confidence”.

She ruled: “In the prevailing circumstances, I do find it difficult to continue this case. This case is returned to the honourable Chief Judge for re-assignment,” Justice Banjoko ruled.

Punch recalls that if the case is re-assigned, it would be the second time and the next judge to handle it would be the third, since its commencement on February 1, 2013, when Lawan and his co-accused were first arraigned on seven counts of bribery.
 

Photo Credit: ireporterstv