RICKY_TARFA-GATE: Judges in trouble over bank accounts {Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - STAR QUESTION: SANS or Shams? Judges or Junkies? You Be the Judge!

My People:

If President Buhari's anti-corruption campaign is to "smell" any measure of success, it must take extra-ordinary dragnet measures with respect to our country's Judiciary and the Banks as essential enablers of several nefarious activities.  These problem enablers cannot be the problem solvers.

The news below is therefore welcome.....

Corruption will NEVER be curbed in Nigeria if lawyers and judges can conspire with impunity - and be discovered a la Tarfa/Yunusa/Ofili-Ajumogobia - and have their cases treated as if they are normal...with light rap-on-the-wrist punishments.

Our judicial system will then not only remain corrupt but will be sustainably corrupting.

Long-held suspicions and whispering campaigns on the streets and in the court-houses of cloak-and-dagger relationships between high- and low judges and "top" lawyers (SANs and near-SANS, and in-between) are now being confirmed.  Some of the things that I have heard about these cross-contaminations are startling, and this RickyTarfa-gate is a mere posterchild for them.  Election petition cases are the worst of the kind, I hear, with even defending lawyers being chosen because of co-religious leanings with Tribunal chairmen, etc.

Something has got to give, ladies and gentlemen, and President Buhari must become more personally engaged in his own administration on several critical fronts.  He must cast aside any fear of being tarred as a dictator.  .After all, he is the one that was elected on certain pledges, not his rather silent Attorney-General Abubakar Mallami, or the rampaging Minister of Education Adamu Adamu.

Bolaji Aluko

___________________________________________________________

TRIBUNE

Judges in trouble over bank accounts

March 5, 2016

Security agents obtain financial details

Written by: 

Lanre Adewole - Lagos

 

In what could be the biggest shake-up in the nation's judiciary since independence, an all-inclusive probe of nearly all judges manning superior courts of records in the country has reportedly commenced, Saturday Tribune has learnt.

 

Already, all information relating to the judges' bank accounts and transactions  are said to have been obtained by security agencies handling the probe.

 

The operation is reportedly tagged "total reform of the judiciary".

 

The information obtained on the financial transactions of the judges, including justices of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, are reportedly being processed by the probing security agencies, with a certain agency coordinating and sharing information with others.

 

A security source told Saturday Tribune that the outcome of the probe would be far bigger than what was called a tsunami in Ghana, where over 20 judges were sacked for alleged corruption last year.

 

Every suspicious transfer on their accounts is reportedly being pencilled in for questioning while every "heavy" lodgement would have the depositor being queried regarding the purpose of such payment.

 

With litigants suspected of using fronts to allegedly bribe judges, the investigating bodies are reportedly not on the look-out for known names as they are not expected to be overtly involved.

 

The probing agencies are reportedly more interested in cash lodgement and movements on the accounts of the judges, which is outside of their salaries and allowances.

 

Those who participated in the trial of election petitions across the country are also said to be prime targets.

 

Judicial interventions in election disputes have been tainted by claims of alleged bribe-for-judgement.

 

Senior judges who have also handled controversial cases, according to Saturday Tribune source, would attract special interest from the investigators.

 

With many unknown judges also accused of serving as bribe conduits for senior judges, accounts of such unknown judges with "unbelievable" balance and "heavy" lodgement would also receive deep scrutiny from the investigating bodies.

 

A retired judge with strong bond with certain powers-that-be, has been fingered as the brains behind the "judicial reform".

 

The judge is believed to have advised in a certain way in order to catch "dirty" judges unaware and clean up the system once and for all.

 

Tremor ran through the judicial circle when pieces of evidence against a couple of justices were presented in court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

 

The source pointed at a recent counter affidavit filed by the EFCC in its case with Ricky Tarfa (SAN) which he said, suggested that bank transactions by judicial officers over the years have come under scrutiny.

 

The EFCC, in the counter-affidavit, alleged that Tarfa paid another judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Hyeladzira Ajiya Nganjiwa, N5.3 million between June 27, 2012 and December 23, 2014.

 

The agency said it uncovered what it called a"network of collaboration and illicit transfer of funds" between Tarfa, Justice Nganjiwa and Justice Mohammed Yunusa, earlier accused of collecting N225,000 from Tarfa.

 

The EFCC added that Justice Nganjiwa, after collecting the N5.3million, transferred N1.6 million to Justice Yunusa through his personal UBA Plc account 1005055617.

 

With the fresh realisation that nearly all the judges are being scrutinised, sensitive conversations among judges are no longer done by phone.

 

The indictment of some senior lawyers in the matters involving the judges is said to be making everyone cautious, while they hold their breath to see the outcome of the current effort to sanitise the judiciary.

 

It was gathered that many senior lawyers with social relationship and friendship with judges are now at a loss as to how to relate with them financially without attracting embarrassing attention from probing agencies.

 

While there is a suspicion that President Muhammadu Buhari is having a sustained tiff with the judiciary, a security source said incontrovertible cases that would be built against the judges would make the allegation of persecution totally irrelevant.

 

Meanwhile, Justice Muhammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court, Lagos has been transferred to Yobe State.

 

Yobe is the home state of the  Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed.

 

It was gathered on Friday night that the leadership of the judiciary would do nothing to save indicted judges.

 

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has put up a robust defence for its indicted members.

 

Two alleged corruption cases have been brought against Justice Yunusa.

 

A judge of the Federal Capital Territory of Yoruba origin may also be pulled in soon for alleged corruption.

 

Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia is also said not to be completely off prosecution despite the sanctions imposed on her by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for unethical conducts.

 

It was also learnt that a hitherto dormant provision in the Act setting up an investigative body which empowers it to obtain call logs without going to courts has been activated to monitor conversations between the Bench and members of the public, particularly lawyers.

 

Lawyers have been consistently fingered as the bribe conduits for judges.

 

Efforts by government agencies to select 37 "clean" judges mainly for corruption trial have not been successful.

 

Nearly all the 100 judges polled for the special assignment failed the integrity test conducted on them.

_________________________________________________________________

Salimonu Kadiri via googlegroups.com wrote	7:00 PM (22 hours ago)
to usaafricadialo.

In other climes Rickey Tarfa and the judges would have been given accelerated trial and jailed accordingly, but not in Nigeria. After the EFCC had disclosed on the 18th of February 2016 that Mr Rickey Tarfa had bribed Justice Mohammed Nasiru Yunusa with the sum of N225, 000.00, Rickey Tarfa swore to an affidavit under oath on the 19th of February 2016 in which he admitted paying the said amount to Justice Yunusa. He gave the reason for paying Justice Yunusa as follows: It was common knowledge in legal circles that the Honourable Justice M.N. Yunusa lost his father in law, Alhaji Audu Garba Damasa on 28th December 2013 in Maiduguri and travelled there to attend to the funeral rites. Tarfa and some friends of the Honourable Justice M.N. Yunusa made some donations towards the said funeral rites to commiserate with the judge, since they could not physically be present to  commiserate with him in Maiduguri where he was and stayed for a while. The contributed money amounted to N225,000.00 which sum was given to Rickey Tarfa with the responsibility to get same across to the bereaved Justice Yunusa. On the 23rd of February 2016, a lawyer in Tarfa's Law Firm, Mohammed Awwal Yunusa, swore to an affidavit that the N225,000.00 was paid to him and not to Justice Yunusa. This Mohammed Awwal Yunusa must be venturing to commit perjury because Tarfa himself had admitted in his voluntarily sworn affidavit that money amounting to N225,000.00 was not only contributed by him and some friends but he was delegated to get the money across to Justice Yunusa, which he did. Moreover, the EFCC has provided the court with a text message from Justice Yunusa acknowledging the receipt of N225,000.00 from Tarfa thus, "Thank you my senior advocate." When at a town hall meeting with Nigerians in Ethiopia, in January 2016, President Buhari said that his greatest headache in fighting corruption in Nigeria is Judiciary, some intellectual Pharisees were calling him a dictator. 

Perhaps a dictator is needed to tackle these Satan Advocates of Nigeria (SAN).

S.Kadiri

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Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2016 01:44:17 +0100
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - STAR QUESTION: SANS or Shams? Judges or Junkies? You Be the Judge!
From: alukome@gmail.com
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
CC: naijaintellects@googlegroups.com; NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com; africanworldforum@googlegroups.com; NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com; OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com; nigerianID@yahoogroups.com;nidan-group@googlegroups.com; ekitipanupo@yahoogroups.com; YanArewa@yahoogroups.com; Raayiriga@yahoogroups.com; nigeriaworldforum@yahoogroups.com

My People:

Hen, will this Ricky Tarfa guy go scot free so?

It will be a wonderment.

Bolaji Aluko

Vanguard

EFCC alleges Tarfa bribed another judge

On March 4, 20161:22 amIn News by AbiodunComments

By Innocent Anaba
Lagos—A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, adjourned till March 15, for judgment in a N2.5billion fundamental human rights suit by Lagos lawyer, Mr. Rickey Tarfa, SAN, challenging his arrest and detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Other defendants in the suit are EFCC chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu, Moses Awolusi, who arrested Tarfa, and Deputy Director Operations, EFCC, Lagos office, Iliyasu Kwarbai.
Tarfe was arrested for alleged hiding two suspects, Nazaire Gnanhoue and Modeste Finagnon, both Beninoise, in his Mercedes Benz Sports Utility, thereby shielding them from arrest.
Trial judge in the matter is Justice Mohammed Idris.
Meanwhile, the EFCC, has further alleged that Tarfa, allegedly paid another judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa, N5.3million between June 27, 2012 and December 23, 2014.
The commission said it uncovered a "network of collaboration and illicit transfer of funds" between Tarfa, Justice Nganjiwa and Justice Mohammed Yunusa, who EFCC alleged Tarfa bribed with N225,000.
EFCC alleged Tarfa paid a total of N5,335,000 to Justice Nganjiwa's personal account with Fidelity Bank Plc.
It said Justice Nganjiwa then transferred N1.6million to Justice Yunusa through personal UBA Plc account, numbered 1005055617.
EFCC said it discovered that Justice Nganjiwa sent bank details of his company, Awa Ajia Nigeria Limited, to Tarfa, adding that the company was incorporated in 2006, with Access Bank Plc account number 0000971931.
The commission said Tarfa was a referee to Awa Ajia's account, through which money was transferred to Justice Yunusa's UBA account.
These allegations are contained in a counter-affidavit in opposition to a further and better affidavit sworn to by a lawyer Mohammed Awwal Yunusa in support of Tarfa's suit.
At the hearing in the matter, yesterday, Tarfa's counsel, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, said EFCC goofed by stating that a lawyer's bank account belongs to a judge.
He said the commission ought to admit its mistake when it discovered that it made a "fundamental error."
"They should give in and apologise to the applicant," Ayorinde said.
He said that EFCC was making "scandalous" allegations against judges instead of addressing the fundamental rights suit filed by Tarfa.

On Thu, Mar 3, 2016 at 2:41 AM, Mobolaji Aluko <alukome@gmail.com> wrote:

My People:

Some fine mess to be really cleaned up - among our lawyers and the Judiciary.....If Tarfa, SAN is found to be guilty, and Judge Yunusa found to be compromised, examples should be made of them QUICKLY.

There should be no "tabi sugbons"...no hemming or hawing....

Bolaji Aluko

Shaking his head

PUNCH

EFCC accuses another SAN of bribing judge

March 3, 2016

Ramon Oladimeji

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday alleged that another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Joseph Nwobike, transferred a sum of N750,000 to Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court, which the anti-graft agency claimed to be a bribe.

It also alleged that another judge from the Port Harcourt Division of the Federal High Court received N300,000 from Nwobike, which the EFCC also claimed was a bribe.

In the counter-affidavit, an operative of the EFCC, Moses Awolusi, averred, "Investigation has also shown that as part of this chain of fraud, Mr. Joseph Nwobike (SAN) also transferred the sum of N300,000 to Hon. Justice H.A Nganjiwa.These allegations were contained in a counter-affidavit filed the EFCC's lawyer, Mr. Wahab Shittu, in reply to a better and further affidavit filed and allowed by Justice Mohammed Idris in a N2.5bn suit filed against the EFCC by Mr. Rickey Tarfa (SAN).

"That investigations further revealed that Honourable Justice M.N. Yunusa, as part of this scheme of fraud, also received the sum of N750,000 from Mr. Joseph Nwobike (SAN) and Co."

But Nwobike, in his statement to the anti-graft agency, which was also attached to the affidavit, explained that the money was not meant to bribe the judge.

He said it was the judge who asked him for financial assistance in respect of his ill mother who was undergoing dialysis due to a failing kidney.

Nwobike explained, "Sometime ago, Justice Yunusa requested to see me. When I got there, he pleaded with me to assist him with some funds since his mother was undergoing dialysis.

"He stated that (one of) her kidney had packed up and that he needed assistance. I felt sorry for him. I told him that I did not have funds, but that I will assist him when I get some money.

"I requested for his account details which he obliged me. When I got some money about two weeks after, I gave the money to him and he thanked me when he saw me along the corridor of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi."

____________________________________________________________

PREMIUM TIMES

SHOCKING: Rickey Tarfa bribed Justice Yunusa with N225, 000; habitually manipulates judges – EFCC

February 18, 2016Premium Times

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has accused Rickey Tarfa, a senior Nigerian lawyer, of having a long history of manipulating courts and improperly communicating with judges.

The EFCC had, on Tuesday, arraigned Mr. Tarfa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, before a Lagos State High Court on a two-count charge of obstruction of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Mr. Tarfa had fought back, dragging the anti-graft agency before a court to enforce his fundamental rights.‎

‎‎According to court documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES, in one of the allegations, Mr. Tarfa made phone contacts with Justice Mohammed Yunusa in a case before the judge.

The commission provided phone numbers of Mr. Tarfa, the judge, and bank documents detailing money transfer from the lawyer to Justice Yunusa.

‎"Based on intelligence report available to the Commission that the Applicant in a desperate bid to pervert the cause of justice in earlier proceedings involving the suspects on the subject matter was using his GSM ….. to communicate with Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa in a case before His Lordship, the 1st Respondent requested the Applicant upon his arrest to respond to the allegation and surrender his mobile Apple I-Phone 6, colour black with MTN No. …..," the EFCC stated in a counter affidavit deposed to by Moses Awolusi, an EFCC investigator.

‎‎"That based on investigations and data analysis of the Applicant's mobile phones startling revelations about secret, unhealthy communications between the Applicant and judicial officers emerged.

"That investigations revealed that whilst Suits Nos. FHC/L/CS/715/2015 between Rana Prestige Industries Nigeria (owned by the suspects) and EFCC and FHC/L/CS/716 between Hair Prestige Manufacturing Nigeria and EFCC were pending before His Lordship Justice M. N. Yunusa of the Federal High Court Lagos Judicial Division were ongoing, the Applicant and Honourable Justice Yunusa of the Federal High Court were in constant communication outside the court through their mobile phone numbers i.e. GSM 080xxxxxx belonging to Justice Yunusa and GSM 080xxxxx belonging to the Applicant Rickey Tarfa SAN respectively.

"Now shown to me is the call/message logs marked Exhibit 'E' revealing communication between the Applicant and Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa during the pendency of the said proceedings.

"That I am aware that a petition regarding this unethical practice between the Applicant and Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa is already pending against Justice M. N. Yunusa before the National Judicial Council (NJC) and Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa has been asked to respond to same by the NJC."

‎The EFCC had accused Mr. Tarfa of wilfully obstructing two of its officers from arresting Gnanhooue Sourou and Nazaire Odeste, the owners of Rana Prestige Industries.

According to the Commission, the senior lawyer had blocked the operatives' attempt to arrest the two suspects, accused of committing financial crimes, by keeping them in his car for hours.‎

‎The commission noted that the arrest of the suspects was based on reasonable grounds that Mr. Tarfa obstructed the operatives of the EFCC from performing their statutory duties on 5th February 2016 between the hours of 12noon and 5pm when he "willfully locked up in his Black Mercedes Jeep with Registration No. KJA 700 CG Lagos suspects wanted for economic and financial crimes in circumstances explained above."

The EFCC also stated that from its investigations,‎ Mr. Tarfa's law firm, Rickey Tarfa & Co. with Access Bank Account with account no. 0000964760 paid N225,000 into Justice Yunusa's bank account.

"‎I know from facts revealed during investigation that the said bribe of N225, 000.00 Two Hundred and Twenty Five Thousand Naira) 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 M. N. Yunusa in furtherance of the understanding between the Applicant and the particular judge.

‎"I also know that investigations has revealed that even the junior counsel in the law firm of the applicant also engaged in the corrupt practices of their boss by manipulating the Federal High Court Registry to fix and assign cases filed by them to particular judges. Attached and marked Exhibit 'P' herewith are text messages on the assignment of the applicant's firm's cases to Justice Yunusa's court."

‎The Commission further stated that Mr. Tarfa had, in April last year, attended a book launch in honour of Ibrahim Auta, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, in the company of Gabriel Igbinedion, who was the chief launcher.

‎Mr. Tarfa introduced Mr. Igbinedion to judges and senior lawyers who attended the programme, according to the EFCC.

"That I know as a fact that inspite of the Applicant's knowledge of Rule 3(f)(j) of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers which stipulates that 'A judicial officer and members of his family shall neither ask for nor accept any gift, bequest, favour, or loan on account of anything done or omitted to be done by him in the discharge of his duties' the Applicant did not advise his client not to donate the said sum of N8 million to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court. Now shown to me and marked Exhibit 'Q' is Thisday edition of 3rd May 2015 capturing the proceedings of the launching including role of the Applicant.

"That I know as a fact that the Applicant's client, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion made the donation of N8m in the referred occasion to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court inspite of knowledge by Chief Gabriel Igbinedion that his son Michael Igbinedion who had been convicted was awaiting the sentence of the Federal High Court in criminal proceedings pending against Chief Gabriel Igbinedion's son (Chief Michael Igbinedion) before the Federal High Court.

"That I know as a fact that a few hours after the donation of the said sum of N8 million to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court by the Applicant's client, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion's convicted son was sentenced to a year imprisonment or N1 million through a questionable plea bargain which was condemned by all right thinking Nigerians."

_____________________________________________

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