Senior lawyer Tarfa doles out money to 4 more judges

While his trial over N225,000 offered Justice Yunusa in 2014 continues in Lagos, top-flight lawyer Rickey Tarfa will have more allegations swirling around him as the EFCC comes forward with evidence he also transferred money to Justices Uwani Abba Aji, Ibrahim Auta,  Hyeladzira Nganjiwa, and one other.

In spite of all these discoveries, Tarfa and his friendly justices are still members of their respective committees in the bar and bench. Many wonder why the Chief Justice of Nigeria Mahmoud Mohammed and the Nigeria Bar Association condone that.

Tarfa probably knows the character of the judges he deals so well that they have sustained a long-term relationship, according to the EFCC investigations.

The relationship could have started as far back as 2006 when the EFCC said the senior advocate of Nigeria received $500,000 from one of his clients to work a case.

Abba Aji was among the appellate judges said to have been bribed in 2010 to uphold the victory of the late President Umar Yar’ Adua, PDP’s presidential candidate, in an election the president himself agreed was rigged for him.

She was also among the judges that said the electronic cardreader was not recognised by the constitution, a verdict that helped the PDP coast home in the 2015 guber elections in Delta and Akwa Ibom clearly marred by malpractices.

ALSO SEE: EFCC urges court to disregard Tarfa’s application to quash bribery charge

In the latest discovery, Tarfa, a member of the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, transferred N8 million into her account.

Justice Auta and Tarfa have been friendly all along, too. According to the commission, Tarfa and four other SANs clubbed together to raise N7 million for a book written in honour of Auta.

Auta, the chief judge of federal high courts in Nigeria, received N500, 000 from Tarfa in the latest investigation.

Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa of the Yenegoa FHC was wired N5 million by Tarfa, Auta has been transferred to Enugu after the uncovered his dalliance with the Lagos lawyer.

In his defence, Tarfa said some of the transfers were for Ngajiwa’s entitlement when he was a lawyer in his chamber—before he was appointed a judge. He also claimed that other recipients included two expended judges, Mustapha Abdullahi, and Oponu-Wusu, his law firm hired.

It was, however, discovered that Nganjiwa was Tarfa’s conduit.  Part of the N5 million the lawyer paid into Nganjiwa’s account was later slushed to Justice Yunusa’s account, EFCC’s investigators said.

Tarfa is facing trial along with another SAN, Joseph Nwobike, alleged to have corrupted another judge.