Embattled Judge of the FCT High Court Justice Abubakar Talba was yesterday docked by the National Judicial Council’s investigative panel on allegation of miscarriage of justice.

But the FCT judge has employed the service of 14 lawyers including three senior advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to defend him before the apex
judicial body.

Talba is being investigated following a petition against him by an NGO known as Anti Corruption Network headed by a former member of the
House of Representatives, Dino Melaye, who described justice Talba’s judgment on pension thief as a frivolous drama, miscarriage of justice
and outrageous mockery of the Nigerian judiciary.

Justice Talba had on January 28, 2013 passed a judgment and sentenced a former director in the management of police pension, John Yakubu
Yusuf, who pleaded guilty to the 3-count charge of gross miss appropriation upon which he was arraigned by the EFCC.

In his judgment, Justice Talba sentenced Yusuf to two years imprisonment with an option of fine of N750,000, which the convict
paid and walked away a free man. However, when the NJC’s panel of three members headed by a retired justice of the Court of Appeal, meet yesterday, the embattled judge was put in the dock where he was examined and cross-examined.

It was gathered that the panel sat from 10.30am to 4.30pm, within which Melaye asked Justice Talba whether there was any arrangement
between him (Talba) and the EFCC on a custodian order, which he ignored, but the judge said there was no such agreement.

Talba however admitted that the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs brought the amended charge to his office before filing.

He was also asked by Melaye whether it is the procedure for counsels to bring their processes to the judge’s office before filing, but our sources revealed that the chairman of the panel overruled Melaye.

The sources also revealed that justice Talba sworn not to know the convicted Yusuf and that if Yusuf is to be arraigned among some criminal, he (Talba) cannot identified him.

In a presentation made by Melaye, the executive secretary of the anti-corruption network, the group said justice Talba had earlier presided over a controversial Kenny martins’ Police Equipment scam.

According to Melaye, the matter was handled in a manner which suggested compromise on the part of justice Talba.

“The accused persons who were charged with stealing N1.3billion out of the N7.7billion police equipment fund were freed by justice Talba in
spite of the evidence led by the prosecution which had implicated them.

The trial judge did not even allow them to give evidence as he threw out the case at the stage of no case submission”.

The panel adjourned sitting till today when parties are expected toadopt addresses on the matter.
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