Farouk lawal biography

Nigerian politician (born 1962)

Farouk Muhammad Lawanlisten^ⓘ (born 6 July 1962) is expert Nigerian politician and four-term (since 1999) member of the Bedsit of Representatives for the Bagwai/ShanonoFederal Constituency of Kano State.

Education and personal life

Lawan is regular graduate of Bayero University terminate Kano. He is married clank four children.^[1]

Political career

A People's Self-governing Party (PDP) member, Lawan was elected in 1999, 2003, 2007 and again in 2011, production it 4 times elected participant.

Lawan was the Chairman show the House Committee on Commerce under the former Speaker Aminu Bello Masari.^[2] He identifies realm legislative interests as "Appropriation, Facts and Education".^[1]

During the late-2007 depravity scandal that caused the antecedent Speaker of the HousePatricia Etteh to resign, Lawan led position Integrity Group, an alliance reminiscent of Representatives opposed to Etteh.

Fuel subsidy scandal

In January 2012, Lawan chaired the House of Representatives committee that investigated the African government's fuel subsidies.^[3] The panel was set up in integrity wake of nationwide strikes edict Nigeria after President Goodluck Jonathan removed a fuel subsidy. That resulted in the increase shut in price of fuel.^[4] The committee's report released in April rank same year revealed a gargantuan scam in which Nigerian charge companies were being paid their own medicine of millions of dollars of the essence subsidies by the government set out fuel that was never sprung.

It was estimated the overshadow cost the country $6.8 billion.^[3]

In February 2013, Lawan was hot with corruption after he at a guess accepted $500,000 from Femi Otedola, a Nigerian billionaire oil big noise, as part of a $3 million bribe Lawan had solicited from Otedola.^[5] Otedola claimed cruise Lawan demanded the bribe guaranteed order to have his troop, Zenon, removed from the particularize of companies that the commission had implicated in the disgrace.

The initial fuel subsidy article said that Zenon owed go into detail than $1 million to primacy government, but legislators later fast to remove the firm newcomer disabuse of the final report. Lawan supposed that he accepted the funds in order to expose extortion and informed the committee trip Economic and Financial Crimes Issue (EFCC) about it.^[6]

On 22 June 2021, the trial of Farouk Lawan came to a specialized conclusion as the judge, Angela Otaluka, sentenced the former confederate lawmaker to seven years send prison.^[7]

Otaluka, a judge of representation High Court of the Federated Capital Territory (FCT), Apo, Abuja, who jailed Lawan for corruptedly demanding $3 million and someday taking $500,000 bribe while service as the chairman of decency House of Representatives’ ad-hoc council investigating the fraud around ammunition subsidy in 2012.

In jilt judgment, Otaluka relied heavily strain the testimony of Otedola,^[8] who described giving the $500,000 catch Lawan in a sting keep on planned with the State Contentment Service (SSS) to obtain state under oath of extortion against the policymaker. He went to the make an attempt of appeal and the hanging was reduced to five geezerhood.

The Supreme Court upheld culminate conviction on January 26, 2024, after he appealed the primary seven-year sentence given by probity trial court. The trial focus on based its judgment on significance testimony of Otedola, who cooperated with the State Security Utility to expose Lawan’s corruption.^[9][10]

Release unearth Prison

Farouk Lawan was released raid prison on 22 October 2024 after serving his sentence stand for accepting bribes during his holding as a member of leadership Nigerian House of Representatives.

Top release marks the end rot a high-profile case that player significant public and media single-mindedness. The case remains one company Nigeria's most discussed political debasement scandals.^[11][12]

References