Femi Otedola has at the resumed trial of former chairman of House of Representative Adhoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy in 2012, Farouk Lawan testified that the alleged $500,000 offered to the accused was from Department of State Service (DSS).
Femi Otedola who had accused the then chairman of Adhoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy in 2012 of asking for a bribe, appeared before Justice Angela Otaluka of the FCT High Court, Apo Abuja on Monday, as a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Farouk Lawan.
The billionaire businessman told the Court that the alleged $500,000 was given to him by the DSS as a setup on Mr Farouk Lawan after he wrote a petition against him.
Otedola accused Farouk Lawan of demanding $3million dollars as bribe from him to exonerate his oil company, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, from the alleged subsidy scam in 2012.
He further told the court that the $500,000 was a part payment of the $3 million being demanded by Lawan, which was eventually given to him under the supervision of the DSS.
Otedola said he petitioned the DSS immediately Lawan demanded the bribe.
“Lawan said he was going to exonerate my company after giving him the money, security cameras were mounted in my living room to capture the exchange of money between me and the defendant.
“The video is with the DSS, the money was given to him in two tranches $250,000 each,” he said.
When reminded by Chief Ozekhome, that the best time “to catch a thief is when the operation is ongoing,” Otedola said he did not know why DSS failed to arrest Lawan at that moment.
The Judge, however, adjourned the matter till March 8 for a continuation of cross-examination of the prosecution witness.
Lawan is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) for allegedly collecting 500,000 dollars out of 3 million dollars bribe.
The money was said to have been requested to remove Otedola’s company’s name from the list of firms indicted by the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy in 2012.
(NAN)