On Sunday, June 10 2012, Farouk Lawan wrote:
"My attention has been drawn to several newspapers and internet stories alleging that a prominent member of the House ad-hoc committee on petroleum subsidy demanded and received the sum of $600,000 as bribe from an oil marketer.
I wish to categorically deny that I, or any member of the committee, demanded and received any bribe from anybody in connection with the fuel subsidy probe and I believe this is evident from the thorough an in-depth manner the investigation was carried out and the all encompassing recommendations produced there from as approved by the whole House.
...
"This clarification is necessary in order to clear all the insinuations being bandied about and, more importantly, to enable the government concentrate on the implementation of the report. The present mudslinging is not unexpected in view of the calibre of people whose actions and inactions were found wanting in the report.
I am aware that in their desperation to discredit the report and divert the attention of the public from the real issues of large scale fraud in high places established in our report, a video footage displaying a caricature of my person allegedly having a dealing with a marketer reminiscent of the military era when dignitaries were invited to the Presidential Villa to watch a video clip of a phantom coup involving Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is already in circulation..."
And on Tuesday, June 12 2012, he confesses to journalists that he collected the money after Otedola approached him, and that he informed the police and his colleagues about it.
This
Seeing as I was so excited when his report was first released, even writing a post about it - now I feel so disappointed.
In the end, all of them are thieves. :(
I find the fact that a number of people actually believed the members of the house of reps were actually conducting a probe. If they were really serious about probing the subsidy regime they should have taken time to understand business of petroleum products importation. They relied on the markerters to provide them with information without doing their own verification. In Zenon's case the records show he was allocated foreign exchange of a certain value. Was the fx dashed to the company? Was it not paid for in Naira. To bid for that fx you need to submit your form m and other documents. Have they confirmed from CBN if he provided all the required documents? This money is domiciled in the bank who wire the funds to the seller because there is usually an irrevocable letter of credit. All these documentations are easily verified for Zenon's and every other marketer. You do not even need to have a live show to do this. But because it was all a game they embarked on a live show.
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