The trial of the former chairman, House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee for Monitoring of Fuel Subsidy Regime, Honourable Farouk Lawan, has again been stalled following the inability of the prosecution to pay the prescribed fees on a document he seeks to tender before the court.
At the resumed trial in Abuja, the prosecutor, Adegboyega Awomolo, informed the court of the refusal of the National Assembly officials to accept payment for the certified true copy of a document he obtained from them.
Attempts by Mr Awomolo to obtain the permission of the court to pay the prescribed fees to the registry of the court was opposed by the defence lawyer, Sekop Zumka, on the ground that the court was not in custody of the original copy of the said document.
Justice Angela Ataluka, in a short ruling, ordered the prosecution to explore the option of making payment to a recognised revenue collecting agency of the Federal Government.
She subsequently adjourned the case to March 7 and 8 for definite trial.
Honourable Lawan is standing trial for allegedly receiving $500,000 from an oil magnate, Mr Femi Otedola, after making an initial demand of three million dollars.
