The $3million Faroukgate Scandal gets interesting by the day, as one of his colleagues who he alleged took custody of the first instalment $500,000 bribe cash he received from Femi Otedola, has washed his hands off the drama.
Farouk Lawan had claimed that he gave $500,000 to the chairman, Naroctics and Financial crime committee, Adams Jagaba Shortly after he got the money from Otedola on April 24 for safe keep.
But the claim became a curious one because Lawan claimed he sent the cash with a handwritten note to Jagaba at about 4am on that day.
But Jagaba has denied the claim and threatened to seek legal redress if Lawan do not apologize and back off the claim.
Jagaba disclosed that when the duo met at the Force Headquarters, he asked Lawan to tell the police if he indeed gave him (Jagaba), the cash, but Lawan was unable to respond in the affirmative.
Below is his full statement made available to Pointblanknews.com
Hon. Farouk Lawan alleged that he wrote a letter to me attaching $500,000. That is callously untrue and in fact, calculated to smear my hard-earned reputation, a reputation I painstakingly built since 1999. I never received any letter, or money, or any other exhibit from Farouk
Lawan.
I saw for the first time the purported letter on a page of the Leadership Newspaper, page 6 of 14th June, 2012; and the closest copy which I saw and touched, was the copy he presented to the Police Special Task Force (STF) investigating the bribery scandal, when I went there on 10th July, 2012.
I was invited by the Police STF while in South Africa attending the Common Wealth Parliamentary Association (Africa Region) Summit. When I returned to Nigeria, I went to the Police Force Headquarters on the 10th July 2012 at about 11:00 am to give my own side of the story on the bribery scandal investigation and I spent precisely 2 hrs with them.
On the 11th July, 2012; the Police STF graciously arranged for a meeting ” between Hon. Farouk Lawan and myself between the hours of 3 and 4 pm. Farouk, in his opening remarks, stated that he reported the matter to me because of my position as the Chairman, House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes and not because I was involved in the bribery saga. He also told the Police that he involved me in the matter because he thinks that that would enhance his case in Court. We faced each other before the Police STF. I then put the question: “Hon. Farouk, did you give me $500,000 or any money for that matter?” This was a question the out-spoken Farouk could not answer. He kept mum till I left.
The Police STF treated me professionally on the two occasions I appeared before them. I was not man-handled in anyway. My constitutional rights were highly respected by the police STF.
2. I was also invited by the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges today being 12th July 2012 at 1:00 pm, and I went and I asserted that, I have not been given any letter or money as claimed by Hon. Farouk Lawan. I have no knowledge of such transactions and I am not in custody of any money or any other exhibit given to me by Farouk or any other person.
THE PURPORTED LETTER
The following were the features of the purported letter: –
The copy published by the leadership Newspaper of 14th June, 2012 on page 6, has the following curious features: –
1. It was dated 24/4/2012 and has a time of 03:47am on it.
Question: Is it the normal practice to indicate time on an official letter? The same time of 03:47am on the top-right of the letter (indicating that he started writing at that time) also appeared on the bottom-right of the letter (indicating that he ended his letter at 03:47am). Is it humanly possible to write a two-paged letter within or in less than one-second? –
2. The purported letter was addressed thus: The Chairman, House Committee on Financial Crimes, House of Representatives. Observation: Hon. Farouk Lawan, as a 4th-termer in the House of Representatives should have been more familiar with the appropriate name of my committee which is THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON DRUGS, NAROTICSAND FINANCIAL CRIMES.
3.On the second paragraph of the purported letter, Farouk Lawan stated that “attached is the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars only…”
Question: Is it practically possible to attach money of the that quantity to a sheet of paper? Except if there exists a “Five-Hundred Dollar-Bill!
4.Still, on the second paragraph, that “…with another promise of Two Hundred Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars”. Observation: The total amount of bribe allegedly demanded is only $3 Million; but here is a Farouk quoting a balance of a whooping TWO HUNDRED MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS after collecting $500,000. The mathematics just did not add-up here!
5.The purported letter was written on a clean sheet of paper. Observation: An official letter written about an issue of this magnitude should have, in my opinion, appeared on the official Letter Headed Paper of the ad hoc Committee on Petroleum Subsidy Investigation or at least, Hon. Farouk Lawan’s Letter Headed Paper,
6. There was no acknowledgement of receipt of the letter purportedly written to my office.
Observation: Forget that the letter was hand-written (because it was), but it should have carried the stamp and/or signature of receipt and date received. But there was no where on the entire letter, both the copy presented to the Police 5TF and the copy published on page 6 of the Leadership Newspaper of 14th June 2012 that acknowledgement of receipt of the letter appeared.
7. I saw the purported letter for the first time on the page 6 of the Leadership Newspaper of 14th June 2012. The said letter was never delivered to my office and hence was never received by my office neither here in the National Assembly nor in my constituency office or delivered to me Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba hand-to-hand!
CONCLUSION
I hereby make the following conclusions that, the embattled Hon. Farouk Lawan was rather rattied by the revelation of the bribery scandal, hence, in his confused and highly tensed state, picked up his pen and paper at an un-godly hour of 03:47am, wrote a letter (or so he claimed), as an after¬thought, to the effect that he forgot to deliver the letter to the intended recipient, but rather chose to give it to a newspaper reporter and the Police Special Task Force (STF).
5. Again, it will be recalled that Hon. Farouk Lawal initially denied ever demanding and collecting any bribe but later owned up that he actually took the bribe money as an “exhibit”. I have since told the police this, and I’m telling you people now and all Nigerians in unequivocal terms that there was never a time I was in possession of the sum of USD6ZQJiO£LojLany other exhibits (in my personal capacity or official capacity as Chairman House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes) relating to the subject matter in the investigation.
Until and unless Hon. Farouk Lawan produces an authentic acknowledged copy of his letter, he should stop placating my name and dragging it in the mud. It will be recalled that I displayed the sum of N4,500,000 bribe money on the floor of the House in 2001 when I was the Committee Chairman on Anti-Corruption. I did that as an act of patriotism, an act that truly laid the foundation for the War Against Corruption in Nigeria. I cannot and shall never be involved in an individualistic act that runs antithetical to national interest.
6. Hon. Farouk Lawan should stop this blackmail forthwith or else, I will have no option than take the appropriate legal action against him and to seek compensation befitting my status. Enough is enough!
Thank you all.
HON. JAGABA ADAMS JAGABA
Chairman