$500,000 Bribe: Nigerian Rep, Lawan Farouk, Freed After Five Years in Jail
By Ademola
Lawan Farouk
Former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, has regained freedom after serving a five-year prison term for bribery.
Lawan, who chaired the ad-hoc committee probing the multi-billion naira petrol subsidy fraud in 2012, was released from Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja on Tuesday.
His conviction stemmed from accepting a $500,000 bribe from Femi Otedola, then chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, in a sting operation.
He was initially sentenced to seven years in prison in June 2021 but had his term reduced to five years by the Court of Appeal in February 2022.
Upon release, Lawan expressed gratitude in a statement: “Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life as I step out of Kuje Custodial Centre, with a heart full of gratitude to Allah SWT for seeing me through this trial.
“My gratitude is deep; I’m alive and in good health and high spirits to be with my family, friends, and associates. I don’t take that for granted. I remain grateful and indebted to my family and friends who stood by me through this particularly trying phase of my life.”
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