Lagos lawyer Festus Keyamo has said he will file a lawsuit against House of Representative member Farouk Lawan, should the police fail to begin legal proceedings against him in the next one week.
In a statement on Wednesday, the fiery legal practitioner said nothing meaningful has been achieved since the $620,000 US dollars bribery involving Lawal and Zenon Chairman Femi Otedola broke out over six months ago.
He said “After collecting the money, (which he did not deny collecting), Farouk Lawan actually stood up on the floor of the House and performed the act for which he collected the money.” “As for Otedola, I have made my position very clear from the beginning that he committed no offence at all. A man, who reports an attempt at a crime to the authorities and plays along to catch the offender, commits no crime. Even laymen know this position of the law.”
“Up till today, Lawan is yet to produce the said money before the Police investigators.”
Keyamo further accused the Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation of cover-up, as they have continued to point accusation fingers at each other.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the impression the Police has created that it is the office of the Attorney-General alone that can give it directives to charge the matter to court is complete nonsense. The law presently as espoused by the Supreme Court in the case of FRN Vs. OSAHON (2006) 5 NWLR PT (Pt. 973) 361, says that the Police and other law-enforcement agencies can directly charge matters to court without the consent or fiat of the Attorney-general of the Federation or of any State. The Attorney-General can only intervene by taking over to continue or discontinue the proceedings. What then is the Police waiting for?”
“Their intention is to make the public forget about the matter and for us to move on with our lives but I will not forget.”
“If the Police fail, refuse and/or neglect to arraign Farouk Lawan within the stipulated time, I will have no other option than to proceed to court to bring him,” he concluded.
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