The ruling party's intervention denied Nigerians of a bizarre drama that would have seen $620,000 cash displayed in the House of Reps during plenary.

An intervention by the top echelon of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) halted a planned inquiry into the USD620,000 bribery scam involving oil billionaire, Femi Otedola, and chairman, House of Representatives ad hoc committee on fuel subsidy management, Farouk Lawan, lawmakers familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

It also disrupted plans to exhibit the $620,000 cash on the floor of the House during plenary.

The mediation came after Mr. Lawan intimated the leadership of the scandal, and a possible legislative investigation was considered more than a month after the exchange took place, the members told PREMIUM TIMES.

The party hierachy reportedly warned against any move by the House that would “embarrass” Mr. Otedola, a well-known PDP financier with links running throughout the governing party’s leadership structure and the Federal Government.

Our sources said after Mr. Lawan received intelligence that he had been trapped, he tried hard to move ahead of the Otedola camp by tabling the cash before plenary, in what some sources describe as a last gasp effort to save his integrity.

On the last day of plenary, before the House went on recess, the embattled lawmaker reportedly begged the leadership of the House to allow him raise a motion detailing how he was offered bribe by Mr. Otedola, and how he received the cash to demonstrate to Nigerians that his committee came under tremendous pressure during its assignment.

Mr. Lawan, those close to him say, had also planned to tell his colleagues that he kept quiet for a while about the bribe because he envisaged a controversy which might overshadow the significance of his committee's report.

Our sources said the PDP chairman, Bamanga Tukur, got wind of Mr. Lawan's plan, and he quickly contacted him and the leadership of the House, requesting them not to do anything that would bring the ruling party and one of its major donors into disrepute.

Mr. Lawan was assured the party would wade into the matter and resolve it in a manner that would be satisfactory to all parties.

The ad hoc committee chairman agreed, but discreetly tried to leak the matter to the media, our sources say.

The Otedola camp, which enjoys the support of the State Security Service and the presidency, soon became aware of Mr. Lawan's plan. It moved very fast, leaking the story to select newspapers ahead of the embattled lawmaker.


Farouk Lawan's regrets
"One thing Farouk Lawan regrets very seriously today is that he listened to the PDP and failed to lay the bribe before the House as planned," a top official of the House said. "He regrets listening to the party and sees that obedience as his major undoing. He feels the PDP colluded with Otedola to undo him, placing him on the defence."

The PDP's intervention and directive seems to underline the claim by some Nigerians that the ruling party tolerate corruption especially with its name featuring in some of the major corruption scams in Nigeria's history.

However, on Tuesday, the party responded swiftly denying it played any role in Farouk Lawan bribery scandal.

“No such thing ever happened,” spokesperson, Olisa Metuh, told PREMIUM TIMES.”The party is not aware of that, and the party does not condone corruption.”


The blame game

The claim by the lawmakers and the party’s denial, appears a continuation of the regime of blame and counter blame that have characterized the scandal since it broke last week.

Mr. Lawan and Mr. Otedola have accused each other of being the initiator of the bribery scheme, while they view their own roles as merely helping to expose fraud.

Mr. Lawan has denied seeking or receiving gratification to exonerate Mr. Otedola’s oil firm, Zenon Petroleum & Gas Ltd, amongst the list of indicted companies marked for a likely government’s criminal action.

He maintained the same position in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.

The lawmaker however admits receiving the USD600,000 from Mr. Otedola, not as “bribe”, but as an evidence that the committee came under intense pressure, and also to buttress his claim that the business tycoon had sought to influence the committee’s findings with bribe.

In details earlier made available to the media, Mr. Lawan said he reported the matter to the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar, and the chairman, House committee on Financial Crimes and Narcotics, Adams Jagaba.

Questions, questions and more questions

That explanation claims the amount received from Mr. Otedola - USD620,000 - was sent to Mr. Jagaba as an “attachment” to a letter explaining the businessman’s fraudulent move.

Not minding the weighty allegation, Mr. Jagaba, a second term member, repeatedly turned down media requests for comments.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted him on Tuesday afternoon, he was polite, but again declined to respond to our questions.

“I am sorry, I respect PREMIUM TIMES, but I cannot say anything on this,” he said before discontinuing the call.

In part, the shock and the scale of the scandal, and lawmakers’ frustration at its damning effect on the House, have seen many members avoiding comments, and where they speak, they do so anonymously.

Those who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES refused to be named.

After being headlined for series of corruption cases, the latest crisis has ignited fury and many lawmakers are said to view Mr. Lawan’s purported reaction after receiving the money naively under video glare, as an afterthought initiated in the wake of realizing he had been nailed.

“A principal officer who watched the video said the content will make anyone be ashamed to be a lawmaker,” one member said.

Concerns have been about receiving the cash in person at the house of someone Mr. Lawan said “pressurized” his committee to pay bribe.

Questions have also been raised on why it took long for the incident to be reported as indicated on the letters, and why the money had been lodged with an individual - Mr. Jagaba, instead of a law enforcement agency or the Central Bank.

Mr. Tambuwal's sealed lips
The money exchanges took place between April 21 and 24, 2012. Mr. Lawan said his letter to the police was on May 9, although he contacted Mr. Jagaba on April 24.

Our sources however say when the leadership was eventually informed, and a probe planned, the effort was blocked by the party which ordered against hurting Mr. Otedola’s interest since he supported the party, PREMIUM TIMES was informed in separate interviews.

Imam Imam, who speaks for the speaker of the House, declined comments on whether the speaker was in the know about the deal. House spokesperson, Zakari Muhammed, too could not be reached. His phones failed to connect calls.

The party’s role in the matter seems to back this website’s earlier report citing security sources who disclosure the political underlines of the bribery, and how Mr. Otedola may have represented government’s interest.

Known to have close ties with President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Otedola made huge donations for the president’s 2011 election campaign, and has been accused of being one of the major beneficiaries of a largely fraudulent fuel subsidy scheme, although he has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

The PDP however said while it backed the House in its “oversight” functions, it did not mean it supported corruption.

“Farouk Lawan is trying to explain itself. The party will wait for the findings of the National Assembly and the law enforcement on the matter. The party does not condone corruption,” party spokesperson, Mr. Metuh said.

bayooooooo:
Mr. Lawan was assured the party would wade into the matter and resolve it in a manner that would be satisfactory to all parties.

So it is now a PDP family matter?
Will not be surprised if this matter ends like that!

The same PDP that uncovered the bribery scandal is scrambling to cover it up,how does that sound to Ʊ!s let me ask Ʊ is otedola a CPC or ACN member?

$3m bribery SAGA: Farouk c’ttee collected bribes in pounds, dollars – Police
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June 14, 2012 | 1:59 am
Headlines

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, KINGSLEY OMONOBI, OKEY NDIRIBE & EMMAN OVUAKPORIE
LAGOS—The House of Representatives was, yesterday, recalled from break as the cash for clearance scandal widened with the Police disclosing that other oil industry interests besides Femi Otedola gave bribes in dollars, pounds and local currencies to the committee.

The revelation came as House members fought back, alleging a systematic attempt by the Presidency and other interested parties to damage the credibility of the report produced by the Farouk Lawan led ad-hoc committee that investigated the implementation of the Federal Government subsidy regime.

It also emerged, yesterday, that Speaker Aminu Tambuwal refused entreaties from the State Security Service, SSS to retrieve the bribe passed on to Lawan by Otedola.  Tambuwal, it was learnt, insisted that his touching the money would mean tampering with the evidence.

The discovery that other oil interest groups allegedly paid bribes to the Lawan committee emerged from the work of the CP Ali Amodu-led Special Task Force investigating the scandal. There were also feelers from the Special Task Force that the $620, 000 bribe money admittedly received by Lawan may have been destroyed.


R Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Education, Hon . Faruk Lawan , Chairman House Committee on Media & Public Affairs , Hon . Zakari Mohammed , and the Chairman Committee on Rules & Business, at a Press briefing on the Activities of the House in the last one year at the National Assembly recently. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.
Lawan who has so far not formally appeared before the Police team investigating the scandal now has a deadline of tomorrow to appear before the Police or be declared wanted.

As a source said yesterday: “Lawan is to appear before the investigation team and say all he knows about the bribery allegations against him or risk the consequences as the Police is empowered by law to take such other lawful steps necessary to help with the investigations.”

Chairman of Zenon Oil, Chief Femi Otedola, who claimed to have given Rep. Farouk Lawan marked $620,000 as part payment of the $3m demanded from him as bribe appeared before the police panel on Tuesday during which he tendered both video and audio evidence of the transaction between him, (Otedola) and Lawan.

A senior Police source told Vanguard yesterday that the investigating team has enough evidence, including the call logs of the discussions between Farouk and Otedola  on where, how and when the money will be collected, as well as the fact that Farouk went to Otedola’s house by 4 am to collect the money.

Marketers intimidated

Giving more insight into how such bribery monies were collected from other marketers, the Police source said: “They (Marketers) were intimidated, threatened and coerced into parting with various sums of pounds, dollars and naira notes out of fear of attack on their property and investments by Nigerians who were angry over the subsidy removal and payment to a few that had been milking the country dry.

“It was as a result of our investigation into the discussions that transpired between Otedola and Farouk Lawan that we stumbled on other transactions with other oil marketers. The Otedola case was like the straw that broke the camel’s back because he told them he cannot be intimidated into joining others to bribe his way out of an offence he did not commit”.

Vanguard was made to understand that as part of the investigations, if Farouk and his committee members fail to own up, the investigating team may extend its work to find out exactly how much and in which currency other oil marketers paid bribes.

Fears over safety of bribe money

A senior Police officer expressed fear that the bribe money may have been destroyed which could put spanners into the works of the investigating team, pointing out that “Even with the video evidence, they may say what Otedola presented or handed over to them were books and not cash”.

The officer wondered “why the SSS who provided the marked money delayed in arresting both Farouk Lawan and the Secretary Boniface Emenalo immediately they collected the money from Chief Otedola or as soon as they stepped out of the house. If that was done we wouldn’t be moving back and forth over this matter”.

Meanwhile, the leadership of the House yesterday issued a notice for the House to reconvene tomorrow.

The notice issued by the Clerk of the House M.A. Sani Omolori, read thus: “This is to inform all Honourable members of the House of Representatives that the House would reconvene to hold a Plenary session on Friday June 15th, 2012 at 10am prompt. Honourable Members are advised to take note and attend promptly, please.”

Being that the House normally does not sit on Fridays for plenary, the House is expected to suspend its rules to allow the sitting to hold.

Speaker Tambuwal was last night meeting with other members of the House leadership and close associates on how to respond to the unfolding development.

One source disclosed, yesterday, that tomorrow’s session would follow the “rule of law” a description of what some said would make way for Lawan to step down from the chairmanship of the ad-hoc committee for the purpose of allowing unfettered investigation.

Meanwhile, there were insinuations yesterday that the evolving crisis was being directed towards causing instability in the House.

Sources in the House told Vanguard of how Speaker Tambuwal evaded what was described as a trap when he was invited to watch the video of Lawan receiving the bribe money by the SSS.

The speaker, it was claimed, was told to retrieve the bribe from Lawan but Tambuwal demurred insisting that he is a lawyer and would not want to tamper with the evidence and as such requested the SSS to collect the money directly from Lawan.

“When the speaker refused, they now urged and even pressed him to return the money through any of his aides, but the speaker again refused,” an associate of Speaker Tambuwal disclosed yesterday.

“This has now made us believe that they want to get him involved in the mess so that he could be said to have been involved in the whole scam,” the associate said yesterday.

It’s Presidency, oil marketers plot — Group

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in a similar vein yesterday pointed accusing fingers at both the executive arm of government and some fuel importers who, according to the CISLAC have never been comfortable with the way the present leadership of the House of Representatives conducts its legislative business.

According to the statement issued by its Executive Director, Auwal Musa: “An offence allegedly committed by an individual member should not be used as an excuse to create another crisis in the House of Representatives.

Human Rights Monitor, yesterday, alleged a plan by vested interests to undermine the implementation of the report by the Lawan committee. The group in a statement issued by its Executive Director, Festus Okoye said in part:

“The allegations of blackmail, extortion and bribery levelled against the Chairman of the said Committee by Mr. Femi Otedola and the counter allegations of inducement, threat to life and bribery by the Chairman of the said Committee Hon. Farouk Lawan are a case in point.

“We hasten to point out that irrespective of the merits of the allegations and counter allegations of bribery and corruption the report of the Fuel Subsidy Committee is already in the public domain.

Arewa youths react

Similarly, the President of the Arewa Youth Congress, in a similar statement urged Nigerians to push for the implementation of the report of the ad-hoc committee saying that the report should not be buried.

In the statement issued by its president, Comrade Ibrahim Abubakar, the AYC which is a coordinating platform for youth groups in the north said: ‘’We have studied the report of the Farouk Lawan-led ad hoc committee that probed the fuel subsidy issue and we are convinced that the panel did a good job. That is the reason we strongly believe that the recommendations of the committee should not be swept under the carpet,” Abubakar said.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/06/3m-bribery-saga-farouk-cttee-collected-bribes-in-pounds-dollars-police/

Thanks for sharing.