EFCC accuses lawyer of bribing judge

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday filed a counter-affidavit opposing Rickey Tarfa’s fundamental rights application case he instituted against EFCC and others. In a counter-affidavit, the anti-graft agency alleged that Tarfa bribed a judge of the Federal High Court, Lagos with N225, 000.

It alleged that Tarfa, on January 7, 2014, transferred the money to the judge, which he acknowledged the payment.The counter affidavit, along with exhibits, including MTN call logs, were filed by counsel to EFCC, Wahab Shittu.The affidavit was sworn to by Moses Awolusi of the EFCC.

He averred that EFCC’s investigation of 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 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 the judge is hereby shown to me and marked Exhibit ‘O’.”

Tarfa had filed a N2.5billion suit against the EFCC on February 9 at the Federal High Court, Lagos following his arrest by the commission.

EFCC arraigned Tarfa Tuesday on a two-count charge bordering on 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.

Tarfa also 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.
He sought an order directing respondents to release his Mercedes Benz SUV which he sad was unlawfully seized from him.