-ACN Guber Candidate, Former EFCC Boss Ribadu, Others ‘Implicated’
OSUN State Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola ‘s nominee for the Chief Judge of
the state, Justice Joseph Olubunmi Oyewole of Lagos High Court is reportedly enmeshed in a fraud and embezzlement scandal.
According to online news portal whistleblowersmonitors.com, the judge is currently being investigated by the National Judicial Council, NJC, per the facts contained in a letter written by the last chief justice of the federation, Justice Dahiru Musdapher.
In a letter dated 15 march 2012, the retired justice had asked, in his capacity as the chair of the National Judicial Commission, Oyewole to respond to a petition on the potential scandal involving accusations of bribery, among others.
The letter, with ref No NJC/s.24/lag.hc/33/1/131, was titled Re-Complaint of abuse of judicial power, oath of office, bribery and corruption against Hon Justice J O Oyewole of the High Court of Lagos state Re suit no ID/92c/2004-Demand for Judicial Enquiry.
This query followed a petition by one Chief Emmanuel Nwude, an ex-convict, who was accused along with Mrs. Martina Anajemba of obtaining money by false pretence (aka 419) which ran into millions of dollars, which led to the liquidation of a Brazilian bank.
The main thrust of the petition attached to the query for Justice Oyewole is to the effect that “the judge made orders against properties related to me situated outside Lagos State, despite the fact that he had no jurisdiction to do so.
“I immediately appealed against the judgment and whilst the appeal was pending, the judge made further orders without notice to me, that the properties be vested in persons who were not parties in the charge against me and who had nothing to do with the case.
“His lordship started sitting on the case whilst I was being detained and conspired with EFCC officials and lawyers and by exparte process, ordered the land registries of the respective states where the properties were situated to register the title over the properties in favor of strangers to the judgment.”
“The case file relating to these processes were subsequently destroyed by the judge such that all efforts to get them at the court registry became abortive. Thereafter,the properties were sold – despite the appeal – and the proceeds were shared between the judge, the prosecutor and EFCC officials. The above facts were discovered after regaining my freedom and in pursuit of justice” the petitioner stated.
In a twist to the tale of fraud, the petitioner also claimed that officials of EFCC; led by its former Chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the lawyers of the Brazilian Bank Shareholders Messrs Babajide Ogundipe and Kwara state ACN governorship candidate Mohammed Dele Belgore SAN and EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Jacobs, among others, were part of the syndicate that allegedly shared in the over N100 billion realized from the sale of his assets, among which is the popular Russell centre in Abuja, bought by the current Olugbo of Ugboland land in Ondo state, Oba Fredrick Akinruntan.
According to Nwude “the facts were all confirmed in the case of Federal Republic of Nigeria V Ricky Tarfa case ID/102c/2006 still pending before the Lagos court “where the principal actors confessed that they reached a financial arrangement between the EFCC Chairman, Rotimi Jacobs and the court, to get the judgment and that they also shared the money among themselves”.
One of the witnesses, Prince Obat Akinruntan, in his handwritten statement under caution stated that he agreed with others involved to a fee of half a million dollars upon bargaining, saying that he was told that the money would be shared with others involved.
“After bargaining, we agreed $500,000 because he told me that the money is not for him alone; that he is going to settle the Court, the EFCC, and many other people. When Hannafi approached me for balance of Mr. Ogundipe’s legal fee claiming that they were going to settle EFCC and other people, I then said I cannot settle EFCC twice; since I have already given Ricky Tarfa the money to settle EFCC.
“I have also discussed settling EFCC with Barristers Ogundipe and Belgore when they were demanding for their legal fees telling me they were going to settle EFCC and others,” he added.
Justice Oyewole was given one month to respond to the query. Sources within the NJC hinted that although the lordship had responded, a lot of pressure was brought to bear on the former CJN not to proceed with investigation of the case. “It is up to the current chief justice to continue the investigation if she wishes,” the source said.