Embattled Rickey Tarfa, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, on Friday admitted giving Justice Mohammed Yunusa the sum of N225,000, insisting the money was not a bribe but a donation to cover part of the funeral of the judge’s father-in-law.
Tarfa appeared before Justice Mohammed Idris on Friday in continuation of his N2.5 billion fundamental rights suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for wrongful arrest and detention.
He was represented by Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), Anthony Idigbe (SAN) and four other SANs as well as 115 other lawyers.
The EFCC was represented by Mr. Wahab Shittu and five others.
Tarfa was arrested by operatives of the commission on February 5, within the premises of the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere after a five-hour standoff during which the EFCC claimed that he prevented its operatives from arresting two of his clients.
The commission alleged that Tarfa hid the foreigners in his car from about 11:30 am until some minutes past 5pm.
In response to the senior lawyer’s suit, the EFCC filed preliminary objection on the grounds that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
In a counter-affidavit filed on February 19, one of the commission’s operatives that arrested Tarfa, Moses Awolusi, said that a check carried out on the Access Bank account of Tarfa’s law firm revealed that a sum of N225,000 was sent to Justice Yunusa on January 7, 2014.
The EFCC claimed on Thursday that the amount was a bribe.
In an affidavit filed on his behalf at the Federal High Court, Lagos, before Justice Idris by one John Olusegun Odubela, Head of Chambers of Messrs Rickey Tarfa and Co., dated February 18, the senior advocate denied bribing the judge with the money or “any other sum at all.”
He stated that the money was a contribution by some friends of Justice Yunusa towards the funeral rites of his father-in-law, Audi Damasa.
“The applicant (Mr. Tarfa) did not on 7th January, 2014 bribe Honourable Justice M.N. Yunusa with the sum of N225,000 or any other sum at all,” the lawyer stated in the affidavit.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“The applicant consequently made arrangements to forward the sum N225,000.
“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.”
The EFCC had alleged that Tarfa made phone contacts with Justice Yunusa in a case before the judge.
In addition to seeking N2.5 billion as damages, Tarfa is also seeking a public apology from the EFCC for his alleged arrest and detention.
