TheCable

A high court in the federal capital territory on Wednesday refused to stop the proceedings of the $620,000 bribery scandal, involving Farouk Lawan and Boniface Emenalo of the federal house of representatives.

The duo were key members of the committee inaugurated by the house to probe the scam in the fuel subsidy regime in 2012.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had arraigned them on a seven-count charge for allegedly accepting the aforementioned amount as bribe from Femi Otedola, chief executive officer of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited.

Their trial was stalled on July 7 as a result of a fresh application that they filed.

Akinyemi Aremu, their counsel, had informed the court that he had filed a motion for stay of the proceedings of the case pending the outcome of the appeal he filed at the apex court.

He then asked the court for an adjournment to allow him argue his application for stay of proceedings at the court of appeal, Abuja division in view of his appeal to the Supreme Court.

Granting their prayer, the court adjourned to October 28.

However, Mike Ozekhome, who represented the legislators this time around, also requested that Adebukola Banjoko, the judge presiding over the matter, should suspend the trial until the outcome of the appeal before the supreme court. But the judge refused.

Lawan, who chaired the committee, was accused of corruptly demanding $3,000,000 from Otedola with the intention of favouring him in the report of the adhoc committee, an offence punishable under Section 8(1) of the same act.