Dss Probe: ‘supreme Court’ Operated Secret Bank Account

SAN FRANCISCO, November 04, (THEWILL) – A bank account, reportedly operated by the 'Supreme Court' which contain billions of naira has attracted the attention of the Department of State Security Services (DSS).

The account, which is being operated outside the civil service procedures, is said to have been withdrawn regularly to fund foreign travels of some judges.

The account was discovered in the course of the ongoing probe of seven judges, two of them justices of the apex court, for alleged corruption.

The modalities for the operation of the account, against the extant financial regulations, is being probed by the security agency.

THEWILL gathered that Supreme Court justices and some senior staff of the court are believed to draw from it while there are suspicions that the dollars seized from the homes of some of the judges under probe may have come from the account.

Some principal officers of the court have been interrogated while others will be invited by the agency as the remittances into the account were in billions of Naira.

Sources told THEWILL that the agency has placed an embargo on the officials from travelling out until the ongoing investigation is completed.

THEWILL recalls that the Registrar of the Supreme Court, Ahmed Saleh and two senior officials in the Finance unit of the court, Muhammed Abdulrahman Sharif and Rilwanu Lawal, are being tried on a nine-count charge of diversion of N2.2billion.   

The trio were alleged to have diverted N2.2 billion belonging to the Supreme Court of Nigeria, into personal bank accounts domiciled at United Bank For Africa Plc with account number 2027642863 and received gratification up to the sum of N10 million from Willysdave Ltd, a private contractor to the Supreme Court contrary to section 10(a) (i) of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

Story by Oputah David