Alleged $620,000 Bribe: Judge Withdraws From Farouk Lawan’s Case
Justice Adebukola Banjoko of a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Gudu, Abuja on Tuesday withdrew from the $620,000 bribery case instituted against the former chairman, House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Regime, Mr. Farouk Lawan.
This action, which will further delay the already protracted case, was sequel to action filed by Lawan’s counsel, Mr. Mike Ozekhome, in which he raised issues of likely bias as a result of the trail judges closeness to one of the of the principla witnesses in the case.
Lawan is facing trial was charged to court, along with his secretary of the committee, Boniface Emenalo, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
While announcing her withdrawal from the case, Justice Banjoko said in her ruling that though the application had been withdrawn and the chief judge had cleared her of the allegation in Lawan’s petition against her, the allegation was a “scandalous challenge” of her integrity.
“In my 17 years on the bench, six years as a magistrate and 11 years as a judge, I have never been confronted with a scandalous challenge of my integrity,” she said.
She ordered the case file to be returned to the FCT chief judge, Justice Ibrahim Bukar.
Lawan’s counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who had filed the application dated October 29, 2014, asking the judge to quit the case, announced its withdrawal yesterday in the open court.
Lawan had earlier filed a motion asking the trial judge to withdraw from the case.
Apart from the application, Lawan had also personally petitioned the FCT chief judge, accusing Justice Banjoko of likely bias based on an alleged close relationship between her and the chairman, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, Mr. Femi Otedola.
Oteddola is a proposed principal witness and the accuser in the case.
Ozekhome had filed the application, asking the judge to disqualify herself from further handling the case based on his client’s allegation.
However, Ozekhome made a U-turn on the application on Tuesday as he withdrew it and pleaded with the judge to overlook the wrong impression which the application and his client’s petition must have created.
The prosecuting counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), also apologised on behalf of the accused person and urged the judge to continue with the case.
But the judge refused to accede to the request of both parties, even as she denied the allegation that she and her family were close to Otedola.
