An Abuja High Court on Friday dismissed the application of two members of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, and Boniface Emenalo, to dismiss bribery charges against them.
The federal legislators are accused of demanding and collecting $620, 000 bribe from an oil magnate, Femi Otedola, to remove his company off the list of those found wanting during the probe into petrol subsidy fraud.
The court presided over by Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi ruled in favour of the prosecution, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, which filed the charges against Lawan and Emenalo.
Hon. Lawan and the Secretary of the Committee, Emenalo had urged an Abuja High Court to throw out the charge of receiving$620,000 against them.
Their counsel, Mr Rickey Tarfa, SAN argued that the court ought not to have granted the application for leave to prefer the charges because the prosecution failed to provide adequate materials necessary for the judge to exercise his discretion to grant the application.
Lawan and Emenalo were said to have violated the provisions of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission Act.