Rickey Tarfa Bribed Justice Yunusa With N225, 000 – Efcc

SAN FRANCISCO, February 18, (THEWILL) – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has accused Rickey Tarfa of manipulating Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court Lagos Judicial Division with a bribe of N225, 000.00 Two Hundred and Twenty Five Thousand Naira).

According to the anti-graft commission, Mr. Tarfa's law firm, Rickey Tarfa & Co. with Access Bank Account with account no. 0000964760 paid N225,000 into Justice Yunusa's bank account and was accepted and acknowledged.

According to the Commission, the senior lawyer had blocked the operatives' attempt to arrest the two suspects, accused of committing financial crimes, by keeping them in his car between the hours of 12noon and 5pm when he was aware that they were wanted for economic and financial crimes. The EFCC had accused Mr. Tarfa, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) before a Lagos State High Court on a two-count charge of obstruction of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice as he prevented two of its officers from arresting Gnanhooue Sourou and Nazaire Odeste, the owners of Rana Prestige Industries.

According to court documents, EFCC provided phone numbers of Mr. Tarfa, the judge, and bank documents detailing money transfer from the lawyer to Justice Yunusa to prove its allegations.

“That investigations revealed that whilst Suits Nos. FHC/L/CS/715/2015 between Rana Prestige Industries Nigeria (owned by the suspects) and EFCC and FHC/L/CS/716 between Hair Prestige Manufacturing Nigeria and EFCC were pending before His Lordship Justice M. N. Yunusa of the Federal High Court Lagos Judicial Division were ongoing, the Applicant and Honourable Justice Yunusa of the Federal High Court were in constant communication outside the court through their mobile phone numbers,” it read.

“That I am aware that a petition regarding this unethical practice between the Applicant and Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa is already pending against Justice M. N. Yunusa before the National Judicial Council (NJC) and Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa has been asked to respond to same by the NJC.

“‎I know from facts revealed during investigation that the said bribe of N225, 000.00 Two Hundred and Twenty Five Thousand Naira) 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 M. N. Yunusa in furtherance of the understanding between the Applicant and the particular judge.”

Story by David Oputah