Reps’ Bribery Scandal ‘Law Should Take Its Course’

As the  $620,000  scandal, arising from subsidy probe rocks the House of Representatives, the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has added its voice to the calls for the investigation and prosecution of those named in the scandal.

NULGE was emphatic that ‘the law should take its course’ and there should be no sacred cows, while investigations into the scandal should be thorough and without witch-hunting”.

In an interview with The Tide, Rivers State Chapter President, Barr. Franklin Ajinwo  said the  scandal involving Chairman of the House Ad-Hoc Committee on subsidy probe, Hon Farouk Lawan and his committee should be properly investigated and anyone found culpable, brought to book.

According to him, “the National Assembly is made up of persons that have been elected by the people to make laws. It is expected that the Assembly is an epitome of  good morales so whatever is happening, whatever story, whatever scandal, all we advice is: it should be properly investigated to ensure that an innocent person is not punished  and, also ensure that if somebody is indicted, the law should take its natural course on the person because we have absolute trust on the law makers.

He continued: “Both the internal mechanisms of the House and the Security agents that have anything to do with the matter have to be thorough; they have to ensure the right thing is done because it has to do with somebody’s integrity.

Ajinwo, a Barrister-at-Law clarified the position of the law on the bribe giver, Mr. Femi Otedole, saying that if the giving of the bribe was not known to security agents, then he has a case to answer but if security agents were involved from the beginning, Otedola can’t be considered as ‘a giver’ in law.

His words: “Depending on the intention, if the giver was doing it in collaboration with the security agents, then he was only acting in collaboration with the security agents,

He was only acting as agent of the security – an instrument to be used but if the security was not involved from the beginning and it was just the issue of the two parties who are willing to give and to collect, then the parties naturally must be facing the same things Ajinwo added.

Justus Awaji, Abuja