EFCC committed perjury, says Tarfa

THE embattled Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Rickey Tarfa, yesterday said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) committed perjury by alleging that he paid N225,000 to Justice Mohammed Yunusa of a Federal High Court, Lagos.

The commission had in its sworn affidavit provided phone numbers of Mr. Rickey Tarfa, the judge, and bank documents detailing money transfer from the senior advocate to Justice Yunusa.

One Moses Awolusi from the anti-graft agency had stated in paragraph 54 of the agency’s counter affidavit that investigations carried out by the respondents into the applicant’s firm’s (Rickey Tarfa and Co) Access Bank account with account No. 0000964760 showed that the applicant on January 7, 2014 bribed his Lordship, Justice M.N. Yunusa with the sum of N225,000.‎

This latest revelation is contained in an affidavit of urgency deposed to by head of chambers, Rickey Tarfa (SAN) and Co., Mr. Segun Odubela.

According to the affidavit, a former staff of the chambers, Mohammed Awwal Yunusa, an indigene of Kogi State is the owner of the Access Bank account the anti-graft agency had earlier said belonged to Justice Mohammed Yunusa, where it alleged a sum of N225,000 was paid in by Rickey Tarfa as a bribe.

Odubela stated that Mohammed Awwal Yunusa was following the case of his former employer through media outlets where he immediately noticed that the account No. 0060351694 referred to in the counter affidavit as filed by EFCC in response to the substantive suit in his account number.

He recalled that a Rickey Tarfa’s Access Bank counter cheque No. 00002065 dated January 7, 2014 for N225,000 was issued to him and he was paid as he collected the value in his Access Bank account No. 0060351694 held in his name, Mohammed Awwal Yunusa.

He said he was contacted by the office accountant, Mr. Samaila H. Malgwi, of the Abuja office at No. 2, Librevile Street off Aminu Kano Crescent Wuse II, Abuja on February 22, 2016.

He said Malgwi had checked the office records and informed him that the cheque issued to him for N225,000 was the only cheque issued by Rickey Tarfa and Co. on January 7, 2014.

In a motion on notice brought pursuant to sections 33, 34, 35, 37, 41, 44 and 46 of the constitution 1999 as amended, Articles 2, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 12(1) of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) ACT CAP 10, LFN,1990; Tarfa sought the court for an order granting him leave to re-open and adduce further evidence by way of a further and better affidavit of Mr. Mohammed Awwal Yunusa in this case.

Specifically, he asked the court for an order granting leave to him to use a further and better affidavit of Mr. Mohammed Awwal Yunusa in support of the application for enforcement of his fundamental rights in this case.