Tarfa. left leaving the court

Nigeria’s anti graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed the reason it docked the embattled Senior Advocate of Nigeria Rickey Tarfa, for alleged attempt to pervert the course of Justice.

This revelation was contained in the counter affidavit in response to the application filed by Rickey Tarfa urging Justice Aishat Opesanwo of the Lagos state High Court Igbosere to quash the charge against him before the court.

Tarfa was arraigned before the court on February 16, on a two count criminal charge bordering on alleged wilful obstruction of an officer of the agency to carry out his lawful duty.

In the second count Tarfa was alleged to have attempted to pervert the course of Justice.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

A counter affidavit filed by Sanusi Mohammed, an operative of the anti-graft agency in opposition to the application to quash the charge, revealed how Tarfa allegedly committed the said offences.

In the twenty-eight paragraph affidavit, Mohammed averred that in the process of investigating a petition dated December 16, 2013, written by a Lagos Lawyer Mr Femi Falana, the defendant filed two fundamental rights enforcement suits No FHC/L/CS/715/2015- Rena Prestige industries Nigeria Ltd and Mr. Gnanhouse Sourou Nazaira V EFCC and two Others and FHC/L/CS/716/ 2015- Hair Prestige Manufacturing Nigeria Ltd Vs EFCC and two Others respectively at the Federal High Court, Lagos division on behalf of his clients against the commission .

He said Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High court presided over the two suits in which the Judge delivered Judgement on September 8, 2015 respectively and ruled in favour of the defendants and his ‎clients. The court also awarded a total sum of N10million in the two cases as damages against the EFCC and two other respondents.

EFCC further stated that during the pendency of the proceedings in the said suits, ‎the commission received intelligence report that Tarfa was communicating with Justice Yunusa with a view to get a favourable judgment against the commission.

The anti-graft agency, also stated that ‎the investigation confirmed this report and further revealed that the chambers of the defendants were in the habit of instructing the registrars of the Federal High Court to assign matters being handled by the chambers to Justice Yunusa .

At the resumed hearing of the matter today which was slated for the hearing of the application, the counsel to the defendant Nnaemeka Ngige,, a senior advocate of Nigeria, told the court that the EFCC served its counter affidavit on Friday at about 2:50pm, which made him not to be able to reply the counter until this morning in the court.

The EFCC prosecuting counsel Gbolahan Latona, in his response confirmed that he received further and better affidavit adding that he needed more time to study the reply served on them for them to reply.

The presiding Judge Aishat Opesanwo adjourned till March 21, for the hearing of the pending applications.