Reacting to the audio tapes aired on independent Channels Television station and the bribery saga, spokesman for the lower legislative chamber, Zakari Mohammed, said, “House is worried, more so that these are all distractions deliberately created to divert attention from the report of the fuel subsidy probe.
“Our position as a House is that let relevant anti-graft agencies implement the recommendations of the report. They should pick up the report and commence prosecution.”
Coincidentally, an Abuja Federal High Court on Wednesday granted an interim order restraining the Federal Government from implementing the House panel report as it relates to one of the indicted oil firms, Integrated Oil and Gas Limited.
The House’s committee, chaired by Lawan, had probed fuel subsidy management in the country and indicted some government agencies, oil marketers and companies said to have cheated the system to the tune of N1.7tn.
The committee had also recommended that the indicted agencies and firms refund various sums of money in addition to being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Integrated Oil and Gas Limited is one of the companies indicted, and told to make a refund to the Federal Government.
The report has however run into a troubled waters with an expose by Otedola that he had a $3m bribery deal with Lawan to keep his firm, Zenon Oil, out of the list of indicted companies.
Otedola said he had paid the lawmaker $620,000 out of the agreed sum but that he backed out from paying the balance because he believed that his company did not in any way abuse the subsidy system.
He said Lawan had merely obtained the money from him under pressure and with the knowledge of security agents who encouraged him to hand over marked notes to the lawmaker.
After the initial denial, Lawan had revealed that he received the sum from the businessman but that he only did so in order to expose Otedola.
The said bribery tapes are part of the messy saga currently under investigation by the police and the House.
In the audio clips, two so far, voices believed to be that of Otedola and Lawan were heard negotiating the bribe and payment arrangement.
But Mohammed said the tapes were “distractions” released to frustrate the implementation of the House fuel subsidy probe panel.
He said, “As a House, we have distanced ourselves from the personal matter of an individual. We have asked security agencies to investigate it and do their job.
“However, while that is being done, we believe that the report exposed massive corruption in the oil industry and should be implemented.
“While (Farouk) Lawan is facing his personal issue, let the anti-graft agencies implement the report. This is our position.”.
Meanwhile, the House has clarified that Otedola is not in any way o trial before it.
Mohammed told journalists that “a wrong impression” was being created in the media that Otedola was on trial before the panel.
According to him, the focus of the House is its member, Lawan, whose “credibility has been called to question” in the light of the bribery scandal.
He explained that the Committee on Ethics and Privileges was a disciplinary committee, which handled issues relating to the conduct of lawmakers, adding that Otedola’s role was to assist the committee with information that would help the House to resolve the bribery allegation.
“But, he came and he responded in a way that he felt was his own way of assisting the committee. People are now making it look as if we have turned ourselves into a trial court,” he said.
He added that by the rules of the House, the Committee on Ethics and Privileges sits in camera.
“The House has its rules and it is not an extension of the estate of any person. Nobody is higher than an institution; so, Otedola cannot dictate to us on how to run the parliament,” he said.
Otedola had appeared before the House ethics committee on Tuesday but declined to speak except the session would be covered on TV live.
Chairman of the committee, Gambo Musa, said the businessman had merely laughed at the questions put to him, adding that Otedola was misguided not to answer the committee’s questions.
In granting Integrated Oil and Gas Limited’s interim request, Justice Gladys Olotu, said the order was pending the determination of a suit in which the oil firm was challenging the report of the Lawan-led probe committee.
The subsidy probe committee, in its report, had recommended that Integrated Oil and Gas Limited should refund the sum of N13,252,055,429.00 (thirteen billion, two hundred and fifty two million, fifty five thousand, four hundred and twenty nine naira) to the Federal Government.
The said amount was part of subsidy was paid to the company by the Federal Government in respect of petroleum products it imported between 2008 and 2011.
The subsidy probe committee in its report had faulted the payments, and held that they were unsustainable.
However, the company headed for court to challenge the committee’s report.
It listed the House of Representatives; Lawan (for himself and on behalf of the committee); the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission; and the Inspector General of Police as respondents in the suit.
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