A senior Nigerian judge serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the Gambia, Joseph Wowo, has been sacked for soliciting a N2.5 million (500,000 Dalasi) bribe from a Gambian-based Dutch businessman in return for a favourable judgment in a land dispute case, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report today.

Mr. Wowo, also a former President of the Gambia Court of Appeal, was caught on tape holding a surreptitious meeting with the former Gambian Justice Minister, Lamin Jobarteh (who has also been sacked), a Dutch national, André Klaarbergen, and his Nigerian Lawyer simply identified as Mene, negotiating the price of subverting the judgment of a Gambian High Court over a land dispute case, which Mr. Wowo agrees the Dutch rightly lost.

“How much are you willing to offer first so that we can negotiate,” Mr Wowo was heard saying on tape, now posted on Youtube.

“You know my position based on my position I’m not even supposed to come here in the first place. I’m the President of the court of Appeal and now I’m acting Chief Justice,” he continued, openly admitting he was sabotaging the course of justice by even agreeing to be at the meeting.

“I’ve read your file at the Court of Appeal, [and] that is why I said you don’t have any case at the Court of Appeal. You will lose at the court of Appeal because the way they deal with the case at the Court of Appeal, the lawyer messed it up. That is why I called your lawyer and said let us see how we can help you,” confirming that the lower court had made the right call in the case.

Mr Jobarteh then cuts in and suggested a quick resolution of the matter.

“The fact of the matter is that the error has been made and it’s irrecoverable. The issue now is how can we meet each other to correct the problem,” he said.

Mr. Wowo then demanded a bribe of 2.5 million Dalasi (N12.3 million) but Mr Klaarbergen, who complained that his business had been slow lately, offered to pay 500,000 Dalasi.

The disgraced Attorney-General, with a tone of threat, then appealed to Mr Wowo to accept the bribe.

“Come a time you people will come running to me and in view of all other consideration and the man financial predicament now, I appeal to you to accept the 500,000.

“Because of Justice Jobarteh, honourable minister, that is why I’m accepting,” Mr Wowo replied.

Even when the Dutch businessman expressed some reluctance and suggested talking to his partner, Justice Wowo asked him to “go and borrow” if he could not raise the agreed bribe.

Fearing prosecution, Mr Wowo is feared to have fled the Gambia furtively. His whereabouts is currently unknown, and he did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ series of calls to his Gambian mobile telephone.

Guinness and Brandy

However, the Wowo bribery transaction also revealed a flabby underside and worldliness of the Nigerian judge. Once he was satisfied that the bribery deal had gone well, Mr. Wowo then complained about the choice of drink on offer.

“You didn’t bring my choice. Me I take only Guinness and brandy.”

When his host (Mr Jobarteh) offered to give him non-alcoholic wine apparently due to his religious leaning, Mr. Wowo complained that it would “run my stomach” and jocularly threatened to sue his host if that happens.

Nigerian Mercenary Judges

The report of the scandal in the Gambian media shows that Mr. Wowo and other Nigerian judicial officers have tainted reputation in that West African country.

Many Gambian newspapers openly refer to Nigerians working as legal personnel in the country with derogatory monikers such as “The Nigerian Mercenary Judges”, “the Nigerian Mafia” and the “Nigerian cowboys”.

The President of Gambia, Yayah Jammeh, had on June 13 named Mr. Wowo as replacement for another Nigerian, Akomaye Emanuel Agim.

A source that asked not to be named told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Wowo was allegedly instrumental to the removal of Mr. Agim as the Chief Justice of the Gambia after he reported on him to Mr Jammeh.

With his removal from office the somewhat astronomical career growth of the 47- year old judge came to a disgraceful end.

Mr Wowo, a graduate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was called to bar in 1991 and after a stint in private practice in the Gambia, he was appointed a Principal State Counsel and Deputy Head of the Civil Division Ministry of Justice, Banjul, The Gambia from 1998 – 2001.

In 2007 he was appointed a High Court Judge, Criminal Division from where he became the President of the Court of Appeal.

The Gambia, West African smallest country of less than two million people, lack qualified citizens to hold key positions, especially in the judiciary. So it has, since independence in 1965, hired many Nigerians to work as senior judges, and presidents of its Court of Appeals and Chief Justices of the country.

http://premiumtimesng.com/news/141771-nigerian-judge-caught-on-tape-negotiating-bribe-to-skew-justice.html

e de una blood

sheyie2007: e de una blood

Which people blood?

Tolexander:

You insinuating something here?

gbokukueba:

You insinuating something here?

no sir o!
The quote is enough to speak for itself o!

Tolexander: no sir o!
The quote is enough to speak for itself o!

I think i know what you refering to but i would say corruption has not ethnic affiliation the man in question is a disgrace!

gbokukueba:

I think i know what you refering to but i would say corruption has not ethnic affiliation the man in question is a disgrace!

i didn't affiliate my quote to any tribe o!

Tolexander: i didn't affiliate my quote to any tribe o!

Story story!

Its a clear setup to shame Nigeria.

samuelkaykay: Its a clear setup to shame Nigeria.

Please can you expantiate as i dont get what the set up here is...

Who be dat mumu wey dey redirected me come this thread na?


Back to the matter.... Well the corruption thingy has always being in our gene.. So its no news at all..

But if u stand on an MTN mast to look at it through a needle.. U'll find out that he just disgraced naija.. We are used to it sha.

These are the pple spoiling our country..see the name sef wowo, I wonder how ugly he'd be

Thanks Afam, you have done well... justice not delayed is justice not denied

like someone said "A rotten fish stinks from the head down" watch the video below



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcXuTXzNtU0

There's oohing new here, even their colleagues in Nigeria embark on such....criminals

So the Gambian dalasi get value pass our naira?
Damn!

LWKMD ! Hmm these people again! These same people have their messiah as the current odechukwu GEJ, so no surprises! Must they ruin the name of this country at every opportunity? Well quote Tolex!

kwangi: So the Gambian dalasi get value pass our naira?
Damn!

Yeah.and your naira would get devalued soon.

Tolexander:

but WOWO sounds like Awolowo. Is he related to the Awolowos?

Chai. I'm speechless!

pro01: Chai. I'm speechless!

Nna, these your people ba?? LWTMB

How are the mighty fallen! He went to a foreign country, made name for himself, and dashed everything away because of greed! Pity!

Why is the other thread on this topic on the Front Page instead of this?
The Front Page one has been closed so this should be on the Front Page?
Or our mods are busy drinking/sniffing garri instead of doing their jobs?

Corruption about to become our greatest national export just yet.

azpekuliar: .

Lol

Nigeria is a cancerous growth spreading over africa and the rest of the world. If the Gambians are not careful their country will become irretrievably corrupt just like Nigeria where enemies of God masquerades as Christians and muslims.

Nigeria and her skewed popularity. Nigeria, I believe you don't like what people are doing to you. When are you going to punish those who are dragging your name into the mud?

Omo see Gobe!

Never knew Nigerians were Judges in African countries. We are giants indeed.

Why are the 21-25 age bracketiers surprise at these. Justice system has always been on the cash and carry mechanism, there is no justice in the world in the true sense of the word.