Incriminating Documents Found In Houses Worth N500m Owned By A Federal High Court Judge Are About To Be Seized By EFCC.

A Federal High Court Judge, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, risks losing properties worth about N500m if she fails to explain to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission where she got the money to buy the houses, The PUNCH has learnt.

Sources within the commission revealed that a house located at 18 Lai Ajayi Bembe Street, Parkview Ikoyi, Lagos was traced to the judge while another property on Atlantic Drive, UPDC Estate, Lekki, which has been marked by the EFCC, was said to belong to the embattled judge. 

The property which is a two-storey building located at Ikoyi with a detached quarters, costs over N350m while the one in Lekki costs over N120m.

The property in Ikoyi was searched by the EFCC and incriminating documents where found in the house which stands close to the house of a former minister of state for defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro who has been arrested by EFCC.

The source at the EFCC said, “When we first invited her, she told us that she was ill and had been admitted at the Gold Cross Hospital, Bourdillon, Ikoyi. When we visited the place, we found out that she was not there.

“Moments later, some of the hospital staff tried to sneak her into the hospital but they were caught red-handed and they apologised. We later led the judge to her Parkview residence and searched the whole place.

“When asked where she got the money to build such a house, she said she got some money from her son who won a case against the London Police. She also gave some explanations which we are trying to verify.

“The Deed of Agreement is in someone else’s name but it carries her signature.” 

Meanwhile  the National Judicial Council has said it is not part of its statutory responsibilities to hand over judges who are accused of corruption to anti-graft agencies for investigation and prosecution.

The NJC also clarified that it could not hand over arrested erring judges to EFCC.

The NJC said this in a letter dated October 26, 2016, which it addressed to a human rights organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project.

The letter was the response of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, who is the head of the NJC, to SERAP, which had requested that the NJC should forthwith hand over the seven judges recently arrested for alleged corruption to anti-graft agencies.

SERAP, in a statement on Tuesday, said the letter with reference number, CJN/Gen/MISC/A37/Vol.XXI/8, was signed on behalf of the CJN by his Senior Special Assistant, H. S. Sa’eed.

According to SERAP, the NJC said its duty stopped at making recommendations to the executive after looking into petitions against judges.

It stressed that it could not take responsibility for the failure of the President and governors to implement the NJC’s recommendations.

The CJN said,  “It is necessary to restate that the NJC is a creation of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) being established under Section 153 with its mandate clearly set out in Paragraph 21, Part One of the Third Schedule to the Constitution.

“This provision clearly stipulates at Paragraph 21(b) and (d) that the council may only ‘recommend’ to the President and the governors, the removal from office of judicial officers and to exercise disciplinary control over such judicial officers, which, in effect, is the extent of its power to discipline. Hence, the council cannot, suo moto, dismiss any judicial officer.

“The NJC can also neither ‘hand over’ corrupt judges to law enforcement agencies for prosecution nor recover proceeds of corruption, as you have suggested. It can merely recommend to act upon its findings, as it has always done.”

The NJC, however, restated his commitment to purging the judiciary of rot with the support of citizens by treating all petitions against judges appropriately.

It stated that to this end,  it had enacted the Judicial Discipline Regulations, 2014.

The letter read partly, “However, in exercise of its constitutional mandate, the NJC has enacted the Judicial Discipline Regulations, 2014 in order to ensure that petitions are received, investigated and addressed as appropriate.

“As SERAP’s own report attests, 64 judicial officers have been disciplined within five years even preceding the institution of the new guidelines. Any failure on the part of the executive arm of government to act upon such recommendations cannot therefore be blamed upon the NJC.

“With due consideration to the contents of your letter, I am directed to acknowledge and address the concerns which SERAP have raised, which may reflect the wider opinion held by some Nigerians.

“While his Lordship, without doubt,  appreciates SERAP’s concern for the incidence of corruption in the judiciary, it is indeed erroneous to conclude that the NJC has ‘felt satisfied with applying only civil sanctions and has not deemed it fit to hand over corrupt judges to law enforcement agencies for prosecution nor recover proceeds of corruption,’ as insinuated in your letter under reference.

“To be sure, every citizen of Nigeria, inclusive of judicial officers, are entitled to the protection of the law and a key provision of the constitution is the presumption of innocence, as enshrined in Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“I must also remind us that the seven judges, like all other persons, are entitled to a fair hearing as stipulated in Section 36 of the Constitution. As such, it would be presumptive and indeed preemptive to sanction the said judges without exhausting the proper procedure for their removal.”

The CJN expressed delight over SERAP’s concern and dedication to the course of justice, fairness and justness.

Justice Mohammed said with the support of all well-meaning Nigerians “giant strides will be made towards reaching the goal of a transparent, fair and equitable system of justice.”