BEVERLY HILLS, April 24, (THEWILL) – A Lagos High Court Sitting in the Ikeja area has ordered a suspended judge at the Federal High Court, Justice Mohammed Yunusa, to face trial for alleged corruption.
Justice Sherifat Solebo gave the order in her ruling on the case of allegations of corruption brought against Yunusa by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
She held that the National Judicial Council (NJC) had already exercised disciplinary action against the judge and the coast was, therefore, clear for him to face his trial.
THEWILL recalls that the NJC had In 2016 suspended Justice Yunusa and recommended his retirement to President Muhammadu Buhari who has, however, yet to act on the recommendation.
The EFCC consequently arraigned Justice Yunusa, formerly a judge of the Lagos Division of Federal High Court, alongside Esther Agbo in January 2017.
Justice Yunusa was arraigned by the anti-graft agency on four counts bordering on an attempted perversion of the course of justice and corruption by a public official.
Part of the charges read, “Justice Yunusa attempted to pervert the course of justice by engaging in constant price and confidential telephone communications with a Mr Rickey Tarfa, SAN, during a period he presided over two of the senior advocate’s matter”.
The EFCC also alleged that the suspended judge received the sum of N750,000 from a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Nwobike.
In the fifth count, Agbo was charged with offering gratification of NI.5million to Justice Yunusa, in order to induce him to give decisions in favour of the Law Chambers of Rickey Tarfa.
Agbo, on the other hand, was charged with an offence of offering gratification to a public official. The duo, however, denied the charges.
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