Corruption: Senior lawyer Tarfa admits giving judge N225,000 but…
– Embattled senior lawyer Chief Rickey Tarfa explains payment of N225, 000 to a sitting judge of the Federal High Court
– EFCC says the N225,000 is a bribe to a judge of the Federal High Court and arrests Tarfa
– Tarfa files a N2.5 billion fundamental right suit against the EFCC for wrongful arrest and detention
Chief Rickey Tarfa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) has admitted giving the sum of N225, 000 to a sitting judge of the Federal High Court, Justice M. N. Yunusa.
Tarfa, however noted that the money was not a bribe as alleged by the Economic and Finanacial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to him, it was a donation from him and some of his friends towards the burial of Justice Yunusa’s father-in-law who died on December 28, 2013.
In an affidavit filed on his behalf at the Federal High Court Lagos, before Justice Mohammed Idris by one John Olusegun Odubela, Head of Chambers of Messrs Rickey Tarfa and Co., dated February 18, Tarfa denied bribing the judge with the money or ‘any other sum at all,” The Nation reports.
READ ALSO: EFCC arraigns Rickey Tarfa for obstruction of justice
But in a counter-affidavit filed on February 19 by one of the EFCC’s operatives that arrested Tarfa and who is also a respondent in the suit, Moses Awolusi, it was stated that a check carried out on the Access Bank account of Tarfa’s law firm revealed that a sum of N225, 000 was sent to Justice Mohammed Yunusa on January 7, 2014. According to the EFCC the transfer was a bribe.
Awolusi said: “I know from the 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 investigations have 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 Justice M.N. Yunusa in furtherance of the understanding between the applicant and the particular judge.”
However, Tarfa speaking through Olusegun Odubela, SAN, said that the money in question was a donation from a committee of friends of the judge including him, to support the judge for the burial of his late father-in-law in Maiduguri since they could not be there physically.
Chief Rickey Tarfa, SAN, has admitted giving the sum of N225, 000 to a sitting judge of the Federal High Court, Justice M. N. Yunusa
READ ALSO: Nigerian stage rally to support EFCC anti-corruption war
Odubela stated that his principal, Tarfa was not informed upon his arrest and detention on February 5, by EFCC that he was arrested on the allegation of bribing the judge.
The senior lawyer said the claim of EFCC that the judge acknowledged the receipt of the alleged bribe by a text message which reads “Thanks my Senior Advocate”, was untrue.
READ ALSO: Nigerians react to Tarfa’s appearance in court with 90 lawyers
The commission alleged that Tarfa hid the foreigners in his car for about five hours from 11:30 am till some minutes past 5pm.
Tarfa however went ahead to file a N2.5 billion fundamental right suit against the EFCC for wrongful arrest and detention.
But in response to the senior lawyer’s suit, the EFCC filed preliminary objection on the ground that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
The senior lawyer appeared before Justice Idris in continuation of his suit against the EFCC for wrongful arrest and detention, today, February 19 as he was represented by Bolaji Ayorinde SAN, Anthony Idigbe, SAN, who led four other SAN and 115 other counsels while, the EFCC was represented by Wahab Shittu and five others.
In urging the court to dismiss Tarfa’s claim for examplary damages of N2.5b, Shittu said from the facts showed that the commission never set out to arrest the applicant.
He said Tarfa invited arrest by obstructing the commission’s officials from carrying out their lawful duties.
“I urge the court to dismiss the entire suit with punitive costs,” Shittu added.
After listening to both parties Justice Idris adjourned the matter till February 29, for judgment.
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