Senior lawyer Rickey Tarfa’s alleged bribery trial stalled again

The trial of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Rickey Tarfa,
for alleged perversion of justice, failed to resume at a Lagos High
Court in Igbosere on Monday, for the second time consecutively,
following the judge’s absence.

It was learnt that Justice Adedayo Akintoye was away on a
conference, alongside several other judges in the Lagos State
Judiciary.

The trial will now resume on March 19.

Last January 21, proceedings could not get underway following
Tarfa’s absence without the court’s permission.

His counsel, Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN, told Justice Akintoye that
his client had left the country for urgent medical attention.

He said Tarfa’s condition “was so bad that he had to travel for
surgical operations,” and would be away for three months.

The three months elapsed on Monday.

EFCC counsel Rotimi Oyedepo confirmed to the court that he
received a medical report and a letter from Owonikoko on the
issue.

Oyedepo, however, wondered why the defendant did not seek leave
of court before embarking on the trip.

Justice Akintoye advised the defence to ensure that Tarfa was in
court subsequently.

She said: “I am giving the defendant the benefit of doubt based
on the application before the court, he should be in court on the
next adjourned date.”

The court adjourned till Monday for continuation of trial.

Tarfa was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) on March 9, 2016, on a 26-count charge of
offering gratification to two judges of the Federal High Court –
Justices Hyeladzira Nganjiwa and Mohammed Yunusa.

He pleaded not guilty.

The EFCC alleged that between June 27, 2012 and January 8, 2016,
Tarfa paid N5.3 million in several tranches into Justice Nganjiwa’s
account.

He was also accused of paying N800,000 into Justice Yunusa’s
account in three tranches between February 9 and November 30,
2015.

The SAN was also accused of age falsification.

Upon his arraignment on March 9, 2016 and subsequent
re-arraignment on November 16, 2016, Tarfa pleaded not guilty and
was granted bail on self recognizance.

The EFCC has since closed its case, following which Tarfa opened
his defence after the court dismissed his no-case submission he
filed.

The defendant’s first witness, Deputy Chief Registrar (DCR) of
the Federal High Court in Lagos, Bello Okandeji, is yet to finish
his cross-examination.