Bribery: EFCC Writes Petition against Justice Yunusa

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Bribery: EFCC Writes Petition against Justice Yunusa

By Correspondent

A petition has been sent to the National Judicial Council (NJC), against Justice M.N. Yunusa of the Federal High Court, for allegedly being involved in what the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) describes as misconduct. It was learnt that the NJC received two more petitions against the embattled judge. The petitions, it was learnt, were with respect to some matters which include; Honeywell v ECOBANK and Sterling Bank v Joma Frozen Foods Product Limited. Reports show that the NJC commenced a two-day session on Wednesday, but it is not certain, if the petitions against Justice Yunusa will be entertained. The EFCC’s complaint had been submitted to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, for onward transmission to NJC. According to an affidavit initiated at the Federal High Court, Lagos, an official of the EFCC, Moses Awolusi, argued that the investigation of Rickey Tarfa’s  Access Bank account number 0000964760, “shows that before the institution of the above proceeding, particularly on 7th January 2014, the applicant bribed His Lordship, Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa with the sum of N225, 000; a copy of the applicant’s firm’s account details showing the transfer of the sum of N225, 000 from the applicant’s firm to Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa is hereby shown to me and marked Exhibit ”˜O’.” He further stated that, “I know from facts revealed during investigation, that the said bribe of N225, 000 was accepted and acknowledged by Justice Yunusa in a text message to the applicant wherein he said ”˜Thank you my senior advocate’. “I also know that an investigation has revealed that the applicant’s law firm was in the habit of asking the Chief Registrar of the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court to assign his cases before His Lordship Honourable M. N. Yunusa in furtherance of the understanding between the applicant and the particular judge.” The Commission’s operative further alleged that even a junior counsel in the SAN’s law firm equally got involved in the alleged corrupt practices of Tarfa by manipulating the court’s registry to fix and assign cases by them to particular judges. Awolusi insisted that evidences are glaring that the senior lawyer instructed bank officials through his mobile phone to transfer funds to other public officers. The EFCC operative said, “Details of such instructions are being kept to prevent the applicant from tampering with evidence concerning allegation of corrupt practices against the applicant.” The Commission further stated that sometime in 2005, Tarfa collected $500,000 from one of his clients “under the pretext that he was going to bribe some officials of EFCC.” EFCC further pointed out that on April 29, 2015, the SAN’s law firm represented Michael Igbinedion, who was standing trial for laundering N25billion. The Commission explained that on April 30, Tarfa was present at a book launch in honour of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, in the company of Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, who was the chief launcher, and who donated N8 million. EFCC further argued that the SAN did not deem it imperative to advise Igbinedion not to donate the money since Igbinedion’s son, who was later convicted, was standing trial before the court. The Commission insisted that Tarfa, alongside his brother silks donated N7million for the occasion, despite having cases before the Chief Judge. The agency said the SAN got $500,000 from one Prince Akinruntan in 2006, who later revealed that it was by “false pretence”. Akinruntan was quoted by the EFCC as saying, “He (Tarfa) told me that the money is not for him alone, that he is going to settle the court, EFCC and many other people.” Oduah, Uba, Others, Not Fired- Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of Nigeria, on Wednesday, declared that its decision of January 29, 2016, never resolved the question that touches on the legitimacy or otherwise of the list of candidates submitted for the National Assembly election by the factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, because the issue was not before it. Consequently, the apex court held that Senators Stella Oduah and Andy Uba, and other PDP lawmakers in Anambra State should retain their seats. The Supreme Court stated that though it confirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, to the effect that the Ejike Oguebego-led Executive Committee of the Anambra PDP was the authentic body to run the party’s affairs, it did not say the Oguebego Exco could assume the responsibilities of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC). Justice John Okoro, who read the lead ruling of a five-man bench, insisted that the Supreme Court neither ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept the list of candidates for the National Assembly from the Oguebego-led Exco nor did it direct INEC to conduct fresh elections into the National Assembly in the state.

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