Police have enough evidence to prosecute Lawan —Akanbi, Ajibola but ...

A former Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, Justice Mustapha Akanbi, and an erstwhile Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Bola Ajibola, said on Friday that the police had enough evidence in the country’s Penal Code to prosecute Farouk Lawan for his role in the $3m bribery scandal.

Akanbi, a former President of the Court of Appeal, said Lawan could be charged based on his statement with the police on the collection of the money from oil magnate, Mr. Femi Otedola,

Similarly, Ajibola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said the “court could force Lawan to bring out the money.”

The duo spoke in separate telephone interviews with our correspondents, against the background of the endless drama between Lawan and the Police Special Task Force investigating the matter, on the release of the $620,000 bribe.

Lawan and Mr. Boniface Emenalo had allegedly collected the money from Otedola, to remove the name of his firm, Zenon Oil, from a list of marketers that secured FOREX for fuel import but never applied it accordingly.

Lawan and Emenalo had respectively served as chairman and clerk to a House of Representatives Ad hoc committee that investigated the N1.7trn fuel subsidy scam that involved some oil marketers.

Akanbi said, “I am sure his statement is with the police. If he did admit receiving the money, without making other statements, that statement is enough.

“They can hold him to what he has said. It is an admission that he received corrupt money.

“If they have other evidence to support their case, they can prosecute him on his admission.

“Getting the money is a different thing, but the fact he has admitted that he received the money provides the evidence that he has received some corrupt money.”

Ajibola, a former Judge of the World Court at The Hague, told SUNDAY PUNCH that, “Not only can Lawan be charged with the matter, the court can also force him to bring the bribe money, seize and release it to the owner.”

“The law has all the provisions in the Criminal Act. If the police are prepared to do their job, they can do so.

“Those in the National Assembly who shared in the money or those connected with it can be prosecuted because they all conspired to take the bribe and all those involved can be taken up.”

Other legal practitioners, Dr. Konyinsola Ajayi, (SAN) and Prof. Itse Sagay, (SAN), expressed similar views.

According to Ajayi, the police have powers under the law to retrieve the money, while Sagay said the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria, which covers Abuja, could be invoked against Lawan.

Ajayi explained that such powers included detention and seizing of assets in the process of extracting evidence from a suspect.

She said, “The police know what to do when they are looking for evidence. They search; they detain and may seize assets. And these actions are permitted by law.

“It is the same law; it has not changed. So, it all depends on the police.”

However, Sagay added, “There is a problem with our law; we don’t have provisions for compensation and reparation. There is no provision for reclaiming what has been stolen.

“The constitution is inadequate; it can only punish someone who stole goods but it cannot reclaim the stolen goods from him.

“We need to amend our laws such that the suspect is not only prosecuted but also compelled to make refunds or returns.”

The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, had said last week that the police needed to “gather more evidence on the matter.”

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This Naija dey always funny me

You have evidence to charge him, He has confessed and you have a statement, He is not denying it yet he is not yet charged. e don pass 2 months now oooo, Na so e go under table and nothing will be done.

Na so so talk talk we go here, Nothing wey dem go do and the all story will die down.

Naija sick small sha no be small (we go dey pray)

Naija needs a rogur team to take matters into there own hands,a sleeper cell that will indict,proscute and discharge verdict according to the law of the nation without being any arm of her.maybe .........for justice.