ABUJA, Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ricky Tarfa SAN has admitted that he gave a Federal High Court judge the sum of N225,000.
Tarfa however stated specifically that contrary to what the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said, the money in question was not a bribe.
Tarfa had filed a suit against the EFCC over his unlawful arrest and detention.
In trying to convince the court to strike out Tarfa’s suit, Moses Awolusi, one of the EFCC operatives who is respondent in the suit who also arrested Tarfa, stated in counter-affidavit that a check carried out into 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, which the EFCC claimed was a bribe.
Awolusi had 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 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 Justice M.N. Yunusa in furtherance of the understanding between the applicant and the particular judge.
Tarfa in a further affidavit in response to the allegation, deposed to by the head of his chambers, John Olusegun Odubela, admitted that Tarfa on January 7, 2014 gave the judge money but it was not bribe.
He averred that the money in question was a donation from committee of friends of the judge including him, to support the judge for burial of his late father in Maiduguri since they could not be there physically.
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.
He said. the claim of EFCC that the judge acknowledge the receipt of the alleged bribe by a text message which reads”Thanks my Senior Advocate”, was white lies.
After listing to the both parties Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned the matter till February 29, for Judgment.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune
