The trial of senior lawyer, Rickey Tarfa (SAN), for alleged perversion of course of justice before an Igbosere High Court, Lagos was on Monday stalled due to the defendant’s absence in court.
Tarfa is standing trial on a 26-count charge, bordering on offering monetary gratification to two judges of the Federal High Court, Justices Hyeladzira Nganjiwa and Mohammed Yunusa.
At the resumed hearing, Tarfa’s counsel, Jelili Owonikoko, told the court that his client traveled outside the country for medical treatment.
He said the condition of his client was so bad that he had to travel for surgical operations abroad.
Owonikoko said that Tarfa would be away for three months.
Rotimi Oyedepo, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission counsel, confirmed that he received the defendant’s medical report and a letter requesting for the vacation of the trial date to a further date.
He, however, said that the defendant should have come to court to apply for leave to travel before embarking on such a trip.
Justice Adedayo Akintoye, however, told the defence to ensure that the defendant appears in court on the next adjourned date.
Akintoye 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.”
She, thereafter, adjourned the case until March 11 for continuation of trial.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that EFCC had, in their charge, claimed that between June 27, 2012 and January 8, 2016, Tarfa paid a total of N5.3 million in several tranches into Justice Nganjiwa’s account.
He was also accused of paying into Justice Yunusa’s account, a total of N800,000 in three tranches between February 9 and November 30, 2015.
The SAN was equally accused of age falsification.
Upon his arraignment on March 9, 2016 and subsequent re-arraignment on November 16, 2016, Tarfa pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail on self recognisance.
The EFCC had since closed its case, adding that Tarfa entered his defence after the court dismissed the no-case submission he filed.
NAN also reports that Tarfa’s first witness, Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court in Lagos, Bello Okandeji, is yet to finish his cross-examination.
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