Rickey Tarfa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, has denied giving any form of inducement to Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had on Thursday, alleged that Tarfa gave a bribe of N225,000 to the judge on January 7, 2014.
In an affidavit filed on Friday before the court and deposed to by the head of his chambers, John Odubela- the senior lawyer admitted that he forwarded N225,000 to Justice Yunusa but however, stated that the money was not a bribe.
He said the money was a donation made by some friends of Justice Yunusa towards the funeral rites of his father-in-law, Alhaji Audi Damasa.
“Contrary to paragraphs 31, 54 and 55 of Moses Awolusi’s (EFCC operative) counter-affidavit, the access to the applicant’s firm’s Access Bank account details was done by the respondents after the arrest and detention of the applicant on 5th February, 2016 without consent and authority of the applicant.”
“That the applicant did not on 7th January, 2014 bribe Honourable Justice M.N. Yunusa with the sum of N225,000 or any other sum at all.”
“That it was common knowledge in the legal circles that Honourable Justice M.N. Yunusa lost his father-in-law, Alhaji Audi Garba Damasa on the 28th December, 2013 in Maiduguri and travelled there to attend to the funeral rites.”
“That the applicant and some friends of Honourable Justice M.N. Yunusa made some donations towards the said funeral rites and to commiserate with the judge since they could not physically go and commiserate with him in Maiduguri, where he was and stayed for a while.”
“That the contributed monies amounted to N225,000, which sum was given to the applicant with the responsibility to get same across to the bereaved judge.”
“That the applicant consequently made arrangements to forward the sum N225,000.”
“That I know as a fact that it is common in Nigeria for friends and well-wishers to contribute gifts in cash and kind to people who are celebrating or bereaved.”
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