EFCC arraigns two SANs, Tarfa, Nwobike for alleged bribery
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission yesterday arraigned two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) Rickey Tarfa and Dr Joseph Nwobike at the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere.
The two SANs were arraigned on different charges bordering on offering gratification amounting to millions of naira in order to pervert justice.
Tarfa was arraigned on a 27-count charge bordering on failure to declare his assets.
One of the counts read: "That you Rickey Tarfa SAN on the 29th day of January 2014 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, intentionally gave the sum of N1, 500,000.00 (One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira only) to Hon. Justice Nganjiwa Hyeladzira Ajiya of the Federal High Court directly from your Zenith Bank Account No. 1002926967 in order that the said judge acts in the exercise of his official duties.
"That you Rickey Tarfa SAN on or about the 15th day of December, 2015 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court intentionally gave the sum of N500,000.00 (five hundred thousand naira only) to Hon. Mohammed Nasir Yunusa of the Federal High Court indirectly through Awa Ajia Nigeria Limited's account No. 0000971941 domiciled in Access Bank Plc belonging to Hon. Justice Nganjiwa Hyeladzira Ajiya in order that Hon. Mohammed Nasir Yunusa refrains from acting in the exercise of his official duties."
The other charges include false statement and offering of gratification to a public official.
While Tarfa was docked before Justice A. A Akintoye, Nwobike was arraigned before Justice Raliat Adebiyi on a five-count charge of allegedly attempting to distort the course of justice and offering gratification to a public official.
The EFCC, Prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedipo alleged that the defendant on February 10, 2016 failed to declare his assets in the declaration of assets form that was issued to him by the agency when he was arrested.
On Tarfa's charges, Oyedipe said Tarfa refused to declare his assets and also made a false statement on February 5, 2016 to one Usman Zakari, a Senior Detective Superintendent Officer in EFCC in the course of the exercise of his duty by claiming that he is 43 years old.
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