Alleged bribery:  Retired Justice Yunusa may land in jail

The days of retired Justice Mohammed Yunusa as a free man may be numbered, except he is able to free himself from about 10 cases of alleged corruption against him.

This is even as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is set to prosecute him in court, soon after he was recommended for retirement by the National Judicial Council (NJC)

Among the cases against Yunusa, is the allegation that a lawyer, Ricky Tarfa, through his law firm, Rickey Tarfa & Co., with Access Bank account number 0000964760, paid N225,000 into his bank account.

The EFCC said it stumbled unto this alleged corruption when it was investigating a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Rickey Tarfa, who is on trial for allegedly offering gratification to a public official.

According to EFCC, the acclaimed N225, 000 was received and acknowledged by Justice Yunusa in a text message to Tarfa saying, “Thank you my senior advocate.”

Although Tarfa, in an affidavit he filed before a Federal High Court in Lagos, claimed that the money was only a contribution by some friends of Justice Yunusa towards the funeral rites of his father-in-law, Audi Damasa.

Another corruption case involving Yunusa, is the case involving Honeywell v ECOBANK and Sterling Bank v Joma Frozen Foods Product Limited.

The judge again, was said to have unprofessionally, granted an interlocutory injunction preventing the EFCC from investigating and arresting Senator Stella Oduah, a former Minister of Aviation, alleged to have embezzled public funds and acts of fraud in contracts. An act the judge was reportedly sanctioned for.

In a petition by Civil Society Network Against Corruption, Yunusa consistently refused to abide by judicial precedents laid down by the apex court in granting orders and injunctions against the EFCC.

Read also: Buhari, CJN disagree on why corruption cases delay

After his suspension by the NJC, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed on misconduct, and his subsequent retirement, the anti-graft agency, Ripples Nigeria gathered are now set to prosecute him.

Since the judge has been retired, the commission has noting hindering it from carrying out further investigations into some of the cases the judge was accused of not having professionally handled.

Recall that the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), recently said that the prosecution of the judge, after his manner of retirement, was expected, and that it was within the power of the EFCC to investigate the judge for the other petitions written against him.

It would be recalled that Yunusa of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, and Justice Olamide Oloyede of the High Court of Justice, Osun State, were relieved of their job by the National Judicial Council over alleged misconduct.

Their sack followed a meeting by the NJC on Saturday, which recommended the compulsory retirement of the two judges to President Muhammadu Buhari.

A statement by the NJC explains that its “hammer came on Mr. Yunusa for allegedly issuing illegal court orders blocking investigation by government agencies into alleged financial misappropriation by some public officers”.

By Ebere Ndukwu …

 

 

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