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The trial of the former chairman, House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee for Monitoring of Fuel Subsidy Regime, Honourable Farouk Lawan, was today stalled again due to the inability of the prosecution to pay the prescribed fees on a document he seeks to tender before the court.
At the resumed trial in Abuja, the prosecutor, Adegboyega Awomolo, informed the court of the refusal of the National Assembly officials to accept payment for the certified true copy of a document he obtained from them.
The defence lawyer, Sekop Zumka, opposed attempts by Mr Awomolo to obtain the permission of the court to pay the prescribed fees to the registry of the court on the ground that the court was not in custody of the original copy of the said document.
Justice Angela Ataluka, in a short ruling, ordered the prosecution to explore the option of making payment to a recognised revenue collecting agency of the Federal Government.
She subsequently adjourned the case to March 7 and 8 for definite trial.
Honourable Lawan is standing trial for allegedly receiving a bribe of $620,000 from an oil magnate, Mr Femi Otedola, to remove his company’s name from those to be probed.