Detectives at the Police
headquarters investigating the
$620, 000 oil subsidy bribe
money collected by erstwhile
chairman of the House of
Representatives Subsidy Probe
Panel, Hon. Farouk Lawan from
oil magnate, Mr. Femi Otedola,
at the weekend disclosed to
Vanguard that the decision of
the Police not to stand in the
way of the embattled Farouk
travelling out of the country on
religious grounds, followed his
keeping to the terms of his bail
conditions.
Aside reporting to the Police
Special Task Force on two times
daily basis, or whenever his
presence was needed to shed
more light on some issues,
Farouk Lawan is said to have
wept in one instance when it
dawned on him that he had
been abandoned by his
colleagues to swim alone and
was neck deep in the bribery
allegation and that it will take
close to a miracle to escape the
consequences.
When the issue of his travelling
for pilgrimage 'Umrah' came up,
the authorities studied his
conduct and analyzed his
willingness to cooperate with
the bribery investigation. In
most cases, all the addresses,
information needed from him
were provided and were found
to be true; the only exception
being that he regretted that his
colleagues in the house,
disappointed him when the
$620, 000 which he claimed he
kept in the house was not
forthcoming.
It was gathered however that a
specific time frame within which
the embattled former chairman
would perform his religious
obligation and return to the
country, was agreed and signed,
and failure to keep to the
agreement would lead to
'certain actions', the source said.
Vanguard was made to
understand that up until when
the investigation was concluded
last week and the report
submitted to the Attorney-
General's office for legal advice,
Farouk had continued to insist
that his colleagues would bring
the money to him to hand over
to the police.
Consequently, Hon. Farouk
Lawan who has been in the eye
of the storm over the bribery
allegation, is set to face a 15
count charge of conspiracy,
bribery, corruption, and lying
under oath among others.