The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a counter-affidavit to the N2.5 billion suit by Chief Rickey Tarfa (SAN), before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, challenging his arrest and detention, told the court that Tarfa allegedly bribed Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the same court with N225,000.
EFCC, in the counter-affidavit, averred that Tarfa, on January 7, 2014, transferred the money to Justice Yunusa and that the judge acknowledged the “bribe” with the words: “Thank you my senior advocate.”
Attached to the counter-affidavit is MTN call log, filed by EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Wahab Shittu.
Tarfa, charged before a Lagos High Court, Tuesday, by EFCC on a two-count charge of obstruction of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice by communicating with a Federal High Court judge that was handling a suit filed by him against the commission.
EFCC alleged that on February 5, Tarfa hid two suspects, Nazaire Sorou Gnanhoue and Modeste Finagnon, both Beninois, in his Mercedes Benz SUV, thereby shielding them from arrest and wilfully obstructing the course of justice.
Tarfa’s suit
In Tarfa’s suit, he had asked the court to compel the defendants to release his two mobile handsets which he said were “deceitfully collected” from him for the purpose of destroying all information, data and other retrievable materials stored on them.
However, EFCC, in the counter-affidavit deposed to by Awolusi challenging the suit, denied violating Tarfa’s rights, saying that its operative received an intelligence report of fresh criminal allegations against Nazaire and Modeste not covered by the pending criminal proceedings.
Based on the report, its operatives were directed to invite Nazaire and Modeste for further interrogation and undertaking that they would not escape from justice.
He averred that they were asked to wait outside the court premises for the suspects and to also brief Tarfa on the new development. He said the suspects were sighted outside the court at about 11:30a.m.
Awolusi continued: “We explained our mission politely and courteously. The applicant (Tarfa) deliberately kept the suspects locked up in his black Mercedes Benz SUV, and prevented the EFCC operatives, including myself, from gaining access to the suspects and also prevented the suspects from honouring the invitation.”
It was when they disembarked that the suspects along with Tarfa were arrested.
Seized from Tarfa
Among items seized from Tarfa were his phones, which Awolusi said was due to intelligence report that he communicated with the justice “in a desperate bid to pervert the cause of justice in an earlier proceedings involving the suspects.”
The operative said when data on Tarfa’s mobile phones were analysed, “startling revelations about secret, unhealthy communications between the applicant and judicial officers emerged.”
Awolusi averred that the EFCC’s investigation of Tarfa’s bank account number “shows that before the institution of the above proceeding, particularly on January 7, 2014, the applicant bribed Justice Yunusa with the sum of N225,000.
“A copy of the applicant’s firm account details, showing the transfer of N225,000 from the applicant’s firm to Justice Yunusa, is hereby shown to me and marked Exhibit O.”
The case comes up today for hearing.
-Vanguard
