The embattled Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ricky Tarfa yesterday admitted that he gave a Federal High Court judge the sum of N225, 000. He however stated that the money in question was not bribe as claimed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Tarfa had dragged EFCC and its official before the court over his alleged unlawful arrest and detention. However, in its EFCC preliminary objection, the anti-graft agency argued that the court lack jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
A respondent in the suit who is also an EFCC operatives, Moses Awolusi, in his counter-affidavit stated that an investigation 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, which the EFCC tagged as bribe.
“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,” he stated.
However, Tarfa in a further affidavit deposed to by the head of his chambers, John Olusegun Odubela in response to the allegation, admitted that his principal, 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 stated that the claim of EFCC that the judge acknowledged the receipt of the alleged bribe by a text message was lies. After listening to both parties, Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned the matter till February 29, for judgment.
