$3m bribe scandal
Farouk Lawan owns up
Rep: Otedola made $620,000
part-payment, but I briefed IGP,
House
...My story, by Zenon Oil boss
Photo: Sun News Publishing
By: CHUKS AKUNNA And
IHEANACHO NWOSU, Abuja
Date: Tue, 06/12/2012 - 23:02
The controversy over $620,000
fuel subsidy bribe allegation
deepened yesterday with the
Chairman of the House of
Representatives’ ad hoc
committee that probed the fuel
subsidy regime, Hon. Farouk
Lawan, accusing Chairman of
Zenon Oil and Gas, Mr. Femi
Otedola, of offering a $3 million
bribe to spare his company in its
report.
He said Otedola made a $500,000
down payment with a promise to
pay up the remaining $2.5 million
if the committee spared Zenon,
but that the matter had been
reported to the police. He
dismissed Otedola’s claims that
he and his committee’s secretary,
Mr. Boniface Emenalo, collected $
620,000 bribe from him
unaware it was a sting operation
as “diversionary,” saying Otedola
actually offered Emenalo $
100,000 to shield Zenon during
the probe.
Lawan said the probe had
subjected his life to a chain of
threats, but that he remained
unshaken. The lawmaker said
shortly after Otedola approached
him with the money, he duly
informed Chairman of the House
Committee on Financial Crimes.
In a letter dated April 24, 2012,
Lawan wrote: “Attached (to the
letter) is the sum of five hundred
thousand dollars only, offered to
me with another promise of two
million, five hundred thousand
dollars.”
The lawmaker said that his
decision not to raise the matter
on the floor of the House was
deliberate, as he did not want
anything that would overshadow
the fuel subsidy probe.
“I had considered bringing this
issue as a matter of privilege on
the floor of the House later today
(April 24), but I am concerned
that the controversy it will
generate will dwarf the contents
of the report, which needs public
attention so that necessary
reforms in the sector could be
effected,” the letter read.
“Given the desperation of Mr.
Otedola, handling this matter, in
a firm but diplomatic manner, is
necessary as he had also made
some veiled threats which put
me and members of the
committee in a delicate
situation.”
To underscore Otedola’s
desperation, said Lawan,
Emenalo, had in a letter dated
April 24, 2012, raised the alarm
that Otedola offered him $
100,000. “I wish to inform you
that I was on his invitation, at the
residence of their Chairman, Mr.
Femi Otedola, in Maitama (Aso
Drive ) this morning and he
offered me the sum of one
hundred thousand US dollars in
two bundles of $50,000 each.
The money is hereby forwarded
as evidence,” Emenalo’s letter
read.
The Acting Inspector-General of
Police(IGP), Mr. Mohammed
Abubakar, said Lawan had on
May 9, 2012, directed a task force
to interact with him. The Acting
IGP in the letter marked CR:3000/
IGP.SEC/STF/FHQ/ABJ/VOL 2/309,
drew Lawan’s attention to an
interview he granted a national
newspaper on April 28,2012,
directing “a discreet
investigation into the matter.”
The Commissioner of Police,
Special Task Force, Ali Amodu,
signed the letter. In another
letter dated May 16, 2012 also
marked CR: 3000/IGP.SEC/STF/
FHQ/ABJ/VOL 2/319, and signed
by Amodu, the IGP requested
money exhibit, names of
witnesses and other material
evidence from the lawmaker
In a response dated May 31,
2012, Lawan told the IGP that the
House leadership had referred
the matter to the relevant
committee for investigation. The
IGP, in a letter to the Speaker,
Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, dated
June 4, 2012, said investigation
had been launched into the
matter.
Titled: “Investigation activities:
Letter of invitation in a case of
criminal conspiracy and attempt
to pervert the course of justice
by offering gratification,” the
office of the IGP stated that “the
Inspector-General of Police had
directed a detailed criminal
investigation into the matter.”
But in an interview granted
ThisDay yesterday, Otedola stated
his own version.
The Zenon boss narrated how at
the beginning of the probe, Hon.
Lawan had approached him to
get some insight into how the
downstream oil and gas sector
works. This, he obliged Lawan by
ensuring that his managing
directors of Forte Oil Plc and
Zenon Oil appeared at the
subsidy probe during its public
hearing after the two firms were
invited by the committee.
Mr. otedola said that the
committee was informed that
Zenon does not and never made
claims for subsidy payments
because the company deals solely
in the importation of diesel, a
product which he said, is not
subsidized.
Zenenon Oil Managing Director,
Mr. Kanmi Kareem Otaru, had
denied that the company had
anything to do with the subsidy
regime. “For the avoidance of
doubt, Zenon never participated
or benefited from the subsidy
scheme or Petroleum Support
Fund (PSF)”.
Otaru said going by the PSF Act:

Source www.sunnewsonline.com/national/article/3m-bribe-scandal

Continuation... “Zenon Oil couldn’t participate in
it because we don’t have a
network of PMS retail outlets
which was one of the key criteria
beneficiaries must meet and as
such, we are not qualified to
participate to draw from subsidy
payments on PMS. So, we never
collected as records will show”.
Otedola said that in spite of
Otaru’s clarification made at the
hearing, Lawan still approached
him a few days before the report
was to be tabled on April 18,
2012 before the House of
Representatives demanding
money so that Zenon’s name will
be kept out of the report”.
“When this happened, I was very
angry and reminded him that
Zenon has never participated in
the subsidy scheme and that it
would be criminal to rope in the
company for something it didn’t
do. “But Lawan responded,
stating that several other
marketers were playing ball and
had offered the members of the
committee large sums of money
to ensure that their companies’
names were not published in the
report”, he said.
The Zenon boss said that he
initially backed at Lawan’s alleged
attempt to extort money from
him and to the lawmakers that
he would not pay up, as the
company had not committed any
crime. Otedola said that he could
not believe it the next day when
the report came out and Zenon’s
name had been listed under the
category of companies that had
bought foreign exchange from
the Central Bank, but had not
imported petrol.
The amount ascribed to Zenon in
the report was $232,975,385:13.
Reacting to the development
yesterday, some lawmakers
spoken to were divided on the
matter. While some expressed
outrage at the allegation, saying
it had further dented the image
of the House, others dismissed it
as a ploy to shield “friends of
those in power.”
They, however, refused to speak
on record, choosing to align with
the official position expressed at
the weekend by their
spokesman, Hon. Zakari
Mohammed. The House
spokesman had said the
leadership would investigate all
the allegations levelled against
some of its officers when they
return from break.
Said one lawmaker; “You know
we are on break and can do very
little until we reconvene on the
19th. This is sad. We were just
smarting from the damage (Hon.
Herman) Hembe did to our
reputation. Now this,” a member,
who didn’t want his name in
print, told Daily Sun.
When we sought why he didn’t
want his name in print, he said:
“The House leadership has taken
a position on the matter. It
would be wrong for me to say
something that would be out of
sync. Another member, who
chairs a standing committee, said
that the allegations were
weighty, but cautioned that
restraint be exercised on the
matter.
A female lawmaker told Daily Sun
that she was surprised that
Lawan was fingered in the
allegation, saying he was a man
who had always striven to leave
above board.
“What is happening is
unfortunate. Farouk (Lawan) has
chaired several standing and ad-
hoc committees from
information to appropriation,
from inter-parliamentary to
education. He had been in the
system long enough to know
that fire burns, reason I nurse my
reservations on the allegations
against him.
However, a principal officer
disclosed that the House would
not be able to take any stand
until the 19th when it
reconvenes. “As matters stand,
we have to allow the relevant
agencies conduct their
investigations,” he offered.

...

The fact of this matter has to be made known, i want to believe farouq lawan isnt involved. hope this ends well