After standing trial for eight years, former federal lawmaker, Farouk Lawan has been sentenced to seven (7) years imprisonment over $500,000 bribery allegations.

The verdict was carried out by Justice Angela Otaluka of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo, Abuja on Tuesday.

The bribery allegation Blueprint learnt was in respect of some companies allegedly indicted for fuel subsidy fraud while serving as the chairman of the defunct House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating the fraud around fuel subsidy regime in 2012.

The former lawmaker was thereafter arraigned on charges of receiving a bribe of $500,000 from Femi Otedola, a billionaire oil magnate.

The money it was alleged was part of the $3milllion Lawan requested to have the businessman’s firms removed from the list of companies indicted for fuel subsidy fraud.

The judgment was in Suit No FCT/HC/CR/76/2013, between the federal government and Farouk M. Lawan.

The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), while arraigning him in 2012 on a three-count charge, had alleged that he demanded $3 million from business mogul Femi Otedola.

But after some hours of proceedings, the trial judge, gave the verdict, and found the former legislator guilty of all the three counts of bribery.

Earlier, it will be recalled, the court had dismissed Lawan’s preliminary objection against his trial.

While evaluating evidence in her judgement on Tuesday, the trial judge, Ms Otaluka, held that from the pool of evidence before the court, the prosecuting lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, had established a case of corrupt practices against the defendant in Count One of the charge which borders on corruptly requesting a bribe of three million dollars.

While reading the judgment, the judge also declared that the embattled former lawmaker conduct had elements of corruption.

“Count One of the charges is not based on suspicion but on credible evidence. The defendant (Mr Lawan) corruptly asked for $3million and received a $500,000 bribe in two tranches from Femi Otedola.

“The conduct of the defendant established the ingredients of corruption which he was charged to court, as he did not report any case of inducement to any law enforcement agency,” the judge affirmed further.