CCT boss Umar to be arraigned March 16, 5yrs after allegedly asking for N10m bribe

Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, (CCT) Justice Danladi Umar is to be arraigned on March 16, 2018 before Justice Ishaq Bello of the FCT High Court.

Umar is accused of having demanded for a bribe of N10 million sometime in 2012 from one Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, a retired Customs officer, who had a case before the CCT.

He is alleged to have collected N1.8 million from the Taiwo through his (Umar’s) personal assistant, Gambo Abdullahi, through Zenith Bank.

The charge marked CR: 109/18, was filed by Festus Keyamo and Offem Uket on behalf of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Daladi Yakubu Umar, being the chairman of the CCT and presiding over a case with charge No.CCT/Abuja/03/12, involving one Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, sometime in 2012 at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, did ask for the sum of N10 million from the said Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, for the favour to be afterwards shown to him in relation to the pending charge in discharge of your official duties and thereby committed and offence contrary to Section 12(1)9a) and (b) of the ICPC Act 2003.

Count 2 charge reads: “That you, Daladi Yakubu Umar, being the chairman of the CCT and presiding over a case with charge No.CCT/Abuja/03/12, involving one Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, sometime in 2012 at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, did receive the sum of N1.8 million from the said Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, through your personal assistant by name Gambo Abdullahi, for the favour to be afterwards shown to him in relation to the pending charge in discharge of your official duties and thereby committed and offence contrary to Section 12(1)9a) and (b) of the ICPC Act.

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Interestingly, the EFCC now claims it has six key witnesses willing to testify against Umar, who was initially protected from prosecution by the same anti-graft agency, on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to drag him to the court for corrupt practices.

The commission claims to have also obtained evidence including the Zenith Bank cheque and staff, who transferred the amount to Danladi’s PA’s account and other documents related to the charge.

There are insinuations in many quarters that the EFCC may be moving against Umar over the way he has handled the alleged false assets declaration trial of the Senate President Bukola Saraki.

Umar had dismissed the charges against Saraki for want of sufficient evidence last year. But the Appeal Court ordered that Saraki return to face trial on three of the 18 count charges preferred against him at the CCT.

The Saraki debacle has led to a face-off between the Senate and the executive arms of government, as the legislators accuse the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami of manipulating the nation’s judicial system.

 

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