OSUN, EKITI GOV APPEALS: Staggering sums found in judges’ bank accounts •Managers of affected banks quizzed


Wednesday, 16 March 2011

THERE are startling revelations in the ongoing investigation into the alleged corruption in the handling of governorship election appeals in Osun and Ekiti states, as bank accounts belonging to some of the affected judges contain staggering sums of money in naira and dollars, among other properties.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that in the course of the investigation by the Justice Umaru Abdulahi panel, instituted by the National Judicial Council (NJC), bank accounts of the affected judges and alleged go-between were said to have been probed by security operatives to establish if bribes actually changed hands as alleged in the petition.

This came as the planned meeting between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Justice Umaru Abdullahi panel investigating the allegation of corruption allegation at the top echelon of the judiciary scheduled for today has been cancelled.

Bank managers of the branches where the said accounts were domiciled were reportedly quizzed, with some of them said to have made useful statements to the investigators.

Nigerian Tribune was informed that in an account belonging to one of the affected judges, a sum of 375,000 dollars was reportedly found in it, while an account belonging to another of the judges was said to contain N182 million.

Properties of the judges were also said to have been investigated, with a certain judges reportedly found out to have renovated a house he built about 20 years ago with over N200 million.

Indications emerged on Tuesday that investigation conducted into the alleged corruption in the handling of governorship election appeals in Osun and Ekiti states has reached the final stage and a report is already being put together.

The NJC panel, it was gathered, might use the security report for its investigation since it has no investigative powers.

Commission’s spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi, confirmed the cancellation to the Nigerian Tribune.

According to him, the cancellation was consequent upon today’s schedule of the commission’s chairperson; Mrs Farida Waziri.

He added that efforts to push the planned meeting forward and hold it on Tuesday did also not materialise.

“The meeting would probably hold sometime next week, though I cannot say exactly the day it would take place,” Babafemi said.

The Abdullahi’s committee was asked by the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate the corruption allegations against Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu and Justice Ayo Isa Salami.

While Katsina-Alu was facing probe over the Sokoto State governorship appeal, Salami was being investigated over the Ekiti and Osun states governorship appeals.

Meanwhile, investigations into the petitions written to the presidency by the former Ekiti State governor, Segun Oni and his Osun State counterpart, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, which were reportedly turned over to the security agencies, had been concluded, with reports reportedly ready.

It was gathered that President Goodluck Jonathan had forwarded the petitions to the National Security Adviser (NSA) who, in turn, ordered the security agencies to investigate the allegations levelled against Salami and the six other justices of the Court of Appeal that sat on the two appeal panels.

The Department of State Security Service (SSS) had reportedly written telecommunications giant, MTN, on whose network the controversial calls were allegedly made, for details of two calls recorded in the system from November 1, 2010. The numbers listed were 08034004887 and 08033120001.

The SSS had also asked the MTN to place the said numbers on permanent monitoring.

Beyond the request, the security agencies were also said to have sought and got the Call Record Data (CRD) which consists the call logs and the transcript of the investigated calls.

It was further learnt that in the course of the investigation, bank accounts of the affected jurists were said to have probed by the security operatives, to establish if bribes were actually exchanged between Tunji Ijaya and Salami as alleged in the petitions.

If our Judicial arm is found corrupt, then what else?

;d ;d ;d ;d ;d ;d ;d i still dey laugh

tha

Another Bundle of Lies and Deception from a drowning and sinking Poverty Development Party

I think somebody needs to send Tribune titles out of business with its recent array of salacious framed stories and yellow journalism. Its become a megaphone for drowning politicians.

Fhemmmy:

Now we are starting to see the reason why Nigeria is corrupt . . . Checkmate

Another enemy of Progress.