We don't know owner of bank account used by Justice Yunusa for bribery - EFCC

Justice Mohammed Yunusa, a dismissed judge of the Federal High Court, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, November 14, had a face off over a bank account number, which the anti-graft agency claimed was used in receiving bribes from two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN).

Yunusa and the EFCC before the Lagos state special offences court in Ikeja, argued about a sworn affidavit deposed to by one Mohammed Awal Yunusa, who claimed that his bank account was mistaken for that of the by the anti-graft body, Punch reports.

The embattled justice is standing trial with one Esther Agbo, who works in the law firm of Rickey Tarfa & Co. The judge and Agbo were arraigned for alleged attempt to pervert the course of justice and offering gratification to a public official.

The EFCC alleged that Justice Yunusa collected N1.5m from Agbo’s boss, Rickey Tarfa (SAN), for the purpose of giving judgments favourable to the SAN’s law firm.

During the cross-examination by Agbor’s counsel, J.O. Odubela (SAN), an EFCC investigator, Moses Awolusi, was shown the sworn affidavit deposed to by Mohammed Awal Yinusa, who said he once worked in Rickey Tarfa’s chambers before gaining admission into Abu Bayero University.

He said while leaving, his former employer paid N225,000 into his Access Bank account to augment his expenses for the LLM course. 

Yet Awolusi, stressing that the account belonged to Justice Yinusa, confirmed that the affidavit was sent to the EFCC.

He stated: “My Lord, Justice Yinusa admitted during the investigation that he collected the said sum from the chambers of Rickey Tarfa for his father’s burial. 

“Even the learned Senior Advocate (pointing to Odubela) who works in Rickey Tarfa’s chambers admitted that they indeed paid the said sum into Justice Yinusa’s account.

“Mr Odubela deposed to that affidavit and admitted that they paid the money into the Judge’s account.

“I know for a fact that N225,000 was paid into Yinusa’s account and Yinusa replied via a text message saying, ‘Thank you, my learned SAN’.”

Asked if he was aware of the judgment of Justice Raliat Adebiyi of the Lagos High Court in April 2018 in the case of the EFCC and Joseph Nwobike, where Justice Adebiyi ruled that the EFCC failed to prove that Nwobike bribed Justice Yinusa with N750, 000, Awolusi declined knowledge of it. The case has been adjourned till Monday, December 10.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Yunusa, the embattled former Federal High Court justice admitted in his statement to the anti-graft agency that it was unethical receiving money from lawyers.

Legit.ng gathered that the revelation was made on Tuesday, October 23, during the testimony of Moses Awolusi, an EFCC investigator, during Yunusa’s trial at an Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos.