A senior lawyer, Joseph Nwobike,
has narrated how he transferred N750, 000 to a serving federal judge, Justice
Nasiru Yinusa, saying the money was to help the judge pay for his mother’s
medical treatment, and not to bribe him.
Mr. Nwobike said this Wednesday
at his ongoing corruption trial before an Ikeja division of the Lagos State
High Court.
An Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission witness, Daniel Danladi, had on March 29 told the court that the
funds transferred by the lawyer into the bank account of a serving judge were
meant for purposes which included a library upgrade.
Danladi, an operative of the EFCC, said during
cross-examination that the money was not meant to pervert the course of
justice. He had also said that the defendant confirmed to the EFCC that the
N750, 000 was for the treatment of Justice Yunusa’s mother and the judge also
confirmed same to the commission.
Nwobike is facing trial for
allegedly offering gratification to judges. The judges’ names include Mohammed
Yinusa, H.A Ngajiwa, and Musa Kurya of the Federal High Court; and James
Agbadu-Fishim of the National Industrial Court.
Testifying during his trial on
Wednesday, Nwobike said he could “recollect doing a few cases against the EFCC
and I came back from court one day and received a call from a fellow who
described himself as an officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
and introduced himself as Zakari.
“I remember cross examining him
in a case involving my client and the EFCC. He said I should find time and come
to the office to clarify some issues and he did not tell me what the issue
was,” said the senior lawyer.
Nwobike further said, “When I
came to the office 30 minutes thereafter, he brought a document, which I
discovered was a statement of account of Joseph Nwobike and Co. firm with UBA.
He showed me an entry of transfer of N750, 000 from the account of Joseph
Nwobike and Co. to one Justice Yinusa.”
According to the senior lawyer,
he had known Justice Yinusa from his days as a staff of the Federal Ministry of
Justice and had become friends.
“I saw him one day and he told me
his mother was ill and had dialysis and was afraid that she would die, that he
had spent over N250, 000 weekly on the illness. I felt pity not because he was
a judge, but because he had been my friend for 19 years. He gave me his account
details that day.
“When I had some money, in my own
signature, I transferred the sum of N750, 000 only to his account for that
purpose,” said Mr. Nwobike.
In his witness statement, Mr.
Nwobike also told the court that he had never at any time given any other money
to Justice Yinusa and had never discussed any official matter whether in
relation to cases or any other official matter with Mr. Yinusa whether before
or after the money was given to him.
Justice Raliatu Adebiyi adjourned
the matter to July 3 and 4, for continuation of trial on the understanding that
the defence would close his case on July 4.
If that fails, another date will
be fixed before the end of the legal year.
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