Alleged Bribery: Appeal Court Dismisses Farouk Lawan’s No-Case Submission

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed the appeal filed by a former member of the House of Representatives from Kano State, Farouk Lawan seeking to terminate the $3million bribery charges brought against him by the Federal Government.

The appellate court in a unanimous decision held that a prima facie case was well established against Lawan that warranted him to enter his defence in the three counts charge brought against him since 2013.

Delivering the judgment in the appeal filed against the ruling of an Abuja High Court which held that Lawan had a case to answer; Justice Olabisi Ige held that the decision of the lower court was well-founded.

Justice Ige said that contrary to Lawal’s argument, the prosecution evidence at the High Court was not in any way discredited, hence the rejection of his no-case submission.

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The appellate court also held that the language of the trial judge, Justice Angela Otaluka which Lawan complained about did not place him in any disadvantage position or was in any way inimical to his trial.

Justice Ige who quoted copiously from the records of proceedings of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, especially the testimonies of the five witnesses called by the Federal Government, upheld the findings of Justice Otaluka that there were sufficient evidence linking Mister Lawan to the offences.

Justice Otaluka had in 2019 dismissed the no-case-submission filed by Mister Lawan who was then the Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Oil and Gas in his alleged $3million bribery trial.