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The Apex Court in Nigeria on Friday affirmed the five-year jail term handed to a former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan by the Court of Appeal.
Lawan was convicted and sentenced to prison in 2021 for accepting $500,000 bribe from businessman, Femi Otedola, Chairman, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd.
The trial judge, Angela Otaluka, held that Lawan demanded $3m and received $500,000 from Femi Otedola in 2012 to remove Otedola’s oil company, Zenon Oil and Gas, from the list of firms indicted for fraud in the fuel subsidy regime.
She also held that Lawan was guilty of all three counts of corruption and bribery.
Not satisfied, Lawan approached the appellate court where his jail term was reduced from seven to five years.
Lawan is at the apex court urging the court to set aside the judgments of the lower court.
Reading the lead judgment, Justice Tijani Abubakar upheld the decision of the appeal court and dismissed the appeal.
