‘CCT boss, Umar, has no pending criminal charge’
Idowu Bankole Idowu Bankole
2 hours ago
AGF, EFCC’s reports clear him of bribery allegation
Chairman
of Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, Justice Danladi Umar, has no criminal
charges for fraud pending against him in the course of discharging his
duties, according to PRNigeria.
Danladi-Umar
Dependable
sources confirmed to PRNigeria that the purported charge filed against
Umar by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, through Mr
Festus Keyamo, had been withdrawn on the order of the Attorney-General
of the Federation and Minister of Justice since last year.
The
charge was, subsequently, struck out by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the
Federal Capital Territory High Court Abuja after it was withdrawn by the
EFCC.
The charge, filed by Keyamo, was done without the
approval of Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami, SAN, who
immediately ordered that the charge be withdrawn because it was lacking
in merit.
PRNigeria has obtained copies of separate letters
of query from the Ministry of Justice to Magu and Keyamo and another
previous letter from the EFCC that exonerated the CCT boss from a
bribery allegation.
In a letter written to the Acting Chairman of
EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, and Keyamo, Minister of Justice had made it clear
that he did not authorise the charge of any purported criminal charge to
be brought against the CCT boss, hence the one filed against him by
EFCC and Keyamo was a nullity.
In the letter dated February 16,
2018, with Reference No DPP/ADV:368/15 and signed by the Solicitor
General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Justice Mr. Dayo Apata, the minister ordered Magu to explain what
informed the filing of corruption charges against the tribunal chairman,
having being cleared of corruption allegation twice by the same
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Entitled “FR VS Danladi
Umar (CR/109/18) request for Briefing,” the query read in part: “The
attention of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation was drawn
to news report that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has
filed charges of corruption against the Chairman of the Code of Conduct
Tribunal, Hon. Justice Danladi Umar, before the FCT High Court.
“I
am directed by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation to
seek clarification from you as to whether the charges were filed on your
instruction or directive and if in the affirmative, what is the
compelling basis for doing so. This clarification becomes imperative in
view of the following background facts.
“The commission’s
investigation report dated 5th March 2015 addressed to the Secretary to
the Government of the Federation stated as follows: ‘The facts as they
are now against Justice Umar raised a mere suspicion and will therefore
not be sufficient to successfully prosecute for the defence.’
“The
commission’s position in paragraph 2(a) above was also maintained and
sustained by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation while
appearing before the House of Representatives’ Investigative Committee
sometimes in 2015 to the effect that report of investigations showed
that the allegations against Hon. Justice Danladi Umar were based on
mere suspicions.
“In view of the foregoing, the Honourable
Attorney General of the Federation requests for your prompt briefing as
to the existence of new facts which are contrary to the position in your
attached investigation report, sufficient evidence or other
developments upon which the prosecution of Hon. Justice Danladi can be
successfully based.
“Kindly accord this letter top priority
whiles your prompt response within 48 hours from the receipt of same is
required in the circumstances.”
In the same vein, in a separate
letter to Mr. Festus Keyamo SAN, who was purportedly engaged as a
private lawyer by Magu to prosecute the CCT boss, was also requested by
the AGF to confirm who had authorised him to file the corruption charge
against Umar.
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Like Magu the
senior Lawyer was given till Tuesday February 20, 2018 to furnish the
Office of the AGF in writing detail of who engaged or issued him with
authority to file the corruption charges.
The letter to Keyamo
with reference No DPP/ADV: 369/15 dated February 16, 2018, which was
also signed by the Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent
Sectary read in part: “The attention of the Honourable Attorney General
of the Federation was drawn to news report that you have filed charges
of corruption against the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Hon.
Justice Danladi Umar, before the FCT High Court.
“The Honourable
Attorney General of the Federation hereby requests that you kindly
furnish this office with the details of the instruction or authorization
upon which you instituted the case under reference. Kindly accord this
letter top priority whiles your prompt response on or before Tuesday,
February 20, 2018 is solicited in this regard.”
Although the
EFCC in two separate letters to the Federal Government through the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation had in 2015 and 2016
cleared Umar of any wrong doing in the alleged N10 million bribery
allegation made against him by a defendant, Rasheed Taiwo Owolabi
standing trial before him on false asset declaration.
Upon
receipt of the petition from Owolabi, the EFCC had investigated the
petition and sent its report to the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (SGF) with a Reference No EFCC/EC/SGF/03/56 dated March 5,
2015, personally signed by the then Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr.
Ibrahim Lamorde exonerating the CCT boss from the bribery saga.
The
EFCC report received by the office of SGF on March 6, 2015 was
categorical that “the facts as they are against Justice Umar raised a
mere suspicion and will therefore not be sufficient to successfully
prosecute for the offence.”
Other EFCC documents show that in
2016 a fresh investigation was conducted into the same N10 million
bribery allegation and the same anti-graft agency in its second report
absolved Umar of any wrongdoing and that the bribery allegation against
him remain a mere suspicion.
The EFCC’s second report with
reference EFCC/P/HRU/688/V30/99 dated April 20, 2016, and submitted to
the SGF and signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Emmanuel
Adegboyega Aremo, read in part: “Kindly recall our correspondence of
March 5 2015 with Reference EFCC/EC/SGF/03/56 with above subject
caption.
‘’We will like to reiterate the commission’s position in
regard to this matter as earlier communicated to you and state that the
allegation levelled against Justice Umar were merely suspicions and
consequently insufficient to prosecute the offence.”
Source:- Vanguardngr
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