Bribery: Appeal Court Reduces Ex-Rep Lawan’s Jail Term To Five Years

agreeing to accept bribes and actually accepting a $500,000 bribe from a

businessman, Femi Otedola. The High Court of the FCT, in a judgment by Justice Angela Otaluka, sentenced Lawan to seven years on count one; seven years on count two, and five years on count three. But in a unanimous judgment on Thursday, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, led by the court’s President, Justice Monica Dongban- Mensem, quashed Lawan’s conviction on counts one and two. The court held that the prosecution failed to prove both counts relating to demanding for and agreeing to accept a $3 million bribe from Otedola. The appellate court found that the prosecution was only able to prove the third count relating to his accepting bribe of $500,000.