A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Rickey Tarfa, has on Wednesday opened his defence as one of his witnesses accuses the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of lying.

Rickey Tarfa has been arraigned by the EFCC on allegations of offering gratification to judges, alleged willful obstruction of EFCC officials, refusal to declare assets and giving false information to a public officer and lying about his age.

The Lagos High Court Sitting in the Igbosere area on Wednesday listened to his two defense witnesses.

During the hearing, Mr Mohammed Yinusa told the court that he owns the account into which the sum of N225,000 was deposited.

The EFCC had alleged that Tarfa paid the money into the account of Justice Mohammed Yinusa as gratification.

The witness, however, told the court that he read in the newspapers that his Access Bank account number was quoted as belonging to the judge.

The lawyer whose name is similar to that of the Judge says he was a former employee of Mr Rickey Tarfa between 2011 and 2014. After leaving the job in 2014, the witness said he travelled for further studies abroad, following which the SAN gifted him the N225,000 to support his education.

Yinusa said: “I found that my Access Bank account was quoted in that publication. I was in a state of shock.” “I was shocked, my Lord, because I am not a judge, I never received gratification from the defendant. My name is Mohammed Auwal Yinusa. The judge’s name is Mohammed Nasir Yinusa. I am not related to him. He is from Yobe State, I am Igalla from Kogi State. Until recently when I saw him on Television, I had never set my eyes on him.”

Under cross-examination by prosecution counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, Yinusa said other payments, which the SAN allegedly made to any other judge, were not made through his bank account.

Before this testimony, Yinusa’s relationship officer from Access Bank, Abisola Olutade, had testified as the first defence witness.

Her testimony was preceded by that of a National Judicial Council staff, Olufolake Saleh Ahmed, who tendered a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers and a revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of Nigeria.

Justice Adedayo Akintoye, therefore, adjourned further proceedings till Thursday, March 21.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Mr Rickey Tarfa on March 10, 2016, on a 27-count charge which was subsequently amended to 26 counts.

According to the EFCC, the SAN paid N225,000 in 2014 into an Access Bank account it said belonged to a Federal High Court judge, Justice Yinusa.

The agency also alleged, among others, that Tarfa offered N5.3 million as a gratification to another Federal High Court Judge, Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa to compromise the judge.

The agency claimed that Tarfa transferred the money in several tranches between June 27, 2012, and December 23, 2014.

Tarfa pleaded not guilty to all the charges

The EFCC subsequently called six witnesses in proof of the allegations and closed its case against the defendant. But instead of offering a defence, the Senior Advocate filed a ‘no-case submission’ on the grounds that the prosecution had not succeeded in making any case against him. He urged the court to acquit and discharge him.

On February 9, 2018, the court dismissed the ‘no case submission and Justice Akintoye asked the defendant to open his defence.