Bribery Scandal: Suspend CCT Chairman – Access to Justice

Access to Justice ( A2J), a non-profit making organisation has
called for the suspension of the embattled Chairman of the Code of
Conduct Tribunal ( CCT ) Mr. Danladi Umar from office pending the
outcome of the trial of the criminal allegations levelled against
him.

However, A2Justice in a statement over the weekend in Lagos
signed by Joseph Otteh regreted that the EFCC did not act sooner in
the CCT Chairman’s case, wondering why EFCC waited for nearly five
years before reaching the decision to do something.

“Unfortunately, that time interval has been a costly one: the
failure to act before this time fostered the impression that
Danladi Umar was invincible and unstoppable, and gave Danladi Umar
the opportunity to run the CCT as a personal fiefdom. Right from
the time of his appointment as Chairman, Danladi Umar has been
dogged by allegations of corruption and financial malpractices, and
these claims have come both from within the Tribunal and outside of
it. Efforts of a number of whistle-blowers to draw the attention of
anti-corruption agencies to what was going on within the CCT drew
blank, and in the end, those people were forced out of the CCT.

“The failure of the EFCC to act on the many allegations against
CCT Chairman Danladi Umar for many years, until now, will trigger
doubts among many about whether the Commission is now going after
Danladi Umar in good faith, or, if indeed, other overarching
factors are at play in this dramatic turn of events. These
cynicisms will create ambivalent perceptions of the forthrightness
of anti-corruption agencies, and, in this case, spark some level of
public anxiety about the motive behind this prosecution, a
scepticism that is wholly unhealthy in the fight against
corruption. To fight judicial corruption effectively,
anti-corruption agencies must, as a rule of thumb, be consistent
and unwavering, and not permit the public to read mixed messages
from what they do, or do not do’, A2J said.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had Friday,
filed fresh charges of fraud against the CCT chairman. The charges
were prepared by Festus Keyamo, an EFCC prosecutor, after about
five years after the offence was allegedly committed.

It was alleged that Mr. Umar collected N10 million from Rasheed
Taiwo, a former Customs official who was facing false assets
declaration charges before the CCT sometimes in 2012.

The prosecution also accused Mr. Umar of receiving N1.8 million
of the N10 million bribe sum through one of his personal
assistants, Gambo Abdullahi.
The two counts of fraud contradicted Section 12(1) (a) and (b) of
the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2003.

A2J also recommended the appointment of a 3rd member of the CCT,
saying that the failure of the FG to appoint a 3rd member of the
CCT to fill a position that has been vacant for many years now
greatly undermines the work of the CCT and the fight against
corruption.

It further called for the reform of the CCT as there are many
aspects of the framework of the CCT that sub-serves the Tribunal’s
ability to function efficiently and with integrity.

The government, according to Joseph Otteh, should use this
opportunity to reform the framework of the CCT, and, most
importantly, ensure that the CCT is no longer placed under the
executive branch of government but under the Judiciary.

Access to Justice ( A2J), a non-profit making organisation has
called for the suspension of the embattled Chairman of the Code of
Conduct Tribunal ( CCT ) Mr. Danladi Umar from office pending the
outcome of the trial of the criminal allegations levelled against
him.

However, A2Justice in a statement over the weekend in Lagos
signed by Joseph Otteh regreted that the EFCC did not act sooner in
the CCT Chairman’s case, wondering why EFCC waited for nearly five
years before reaching the decision to do something.

“Unfortunately, that time interval has been a costly one: the
failure to act before this time fostered the impression that
Danladi Umar was invincible and unstoppable, and gave Danladi Umar
the opportunity to run the CCT as a personal fiefdom. Right from
the time of his appointment as Chairman, Danladi Umar has been
dogged by allegations of corruption and financial malpractices, and
these claims have come both from within the Tribunal and outside of
it. Efforts of a number of whistle-blowers to draw the attention of
anti-corruption agencies to what was going on within the CCT drew
blank, and in the end, those people were forced out of the CCT.

“The failure of the EFCC to act on the many allegations against
CCT Chairman Danladi Umar for many years, until now, will trigger
doubts among many about whether the Commission is now going after
Danladi Umar in good faith, or, if indeed, other overarching
factors are at play in this dramatic turn of events. These
cynicisms will create ambivalent perceptions of the forthrightness
of anti-corruption agencies, and, in this case, spark some level of
public anxiety about the motive behind this prosecution, a
scepticism that is wholly unhealthy in the fight against
corruption. To fight judicial corruption effectively,
anti-corruption agencies must, as a rule of thumb, be consistent
and unwavering, and not permit the public to read mixed messages
from what they do, or do not do’, A2J said.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had Friday,
filed fresh charges of fraud against the CCT chairman. The charges
were prepared by Festus Keyamo, an EFCC prosecutor, after about
five years after the offence was allegedly committed.

It was alleged that Mr. Umar collected N10 million from Rasheed
Taiwo, a former Customs official who was facing false assets
declaration charges before the CCT sometimes in 2012.

The prosecution also accused Mr. Umar of receiving N1.8 million
of the N10 million bribe sum through one of his personal
assistants, Gambo Abdullahi.
The two counts of fraud contradicted Section 12(1) (a) and (b) of
the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2003.

A2J also recommended the appointment of a 3rd member of the CCT,
saying that the failure of the FG to appoint a 3rd member of the
CCT to fill a position that has been vacant for many years now
greatly undermines the work of the CCT and the fight against
corruption.

It further called for the reform of the CCT as there are many
aspects of the framework of the CCT that sub-serves the Tribunal’s
ability to function efficiently and with integrity.

The government, according to Joseph Otteh, should use this
opportunity to reform the framework of the CCT, and, most
importantly, ensure that the CCT is no longer placed under the
executive branch of government but under the Judiciary.