Admin l Wednesday, June 14, 2017
IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Dr. Joseph Nwobike, SAN today told a Lagos High Court, sitting in Ikeka that he transferred N750,000 into the account of a Federal High Court judge, Justice Mohammed Yinusa to assist him with the treatment of his father who was on dialysis for his kidney problem.
He told the court that the money was not meant to perverting the course of Justice but to help Yinusa whom he knew while he was working in the Ministey of Justice in the last 19 years.
Nwobike is being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an 11-count charge of allegedly offering gratification to a public official and perverting the course of justice.
The commission had named four judges allegedly involved in the gratification scam as Justice Mohammed Yinusa, Justice H. A. Ngajiwa and Justice Musa Kurya, all of the Federal High Court, Lagos and Justice James Agbadu-Fishim of the National Industrial Court, Lagos.
However, while being led in evidence by his lawyer, Mr. O Akanni (SAN), Nwobike said he has never been a respondent in any case or ever charged to face a disciplinary committee and that the money he transferred into Justice Yinusa’s bank account was done out of sheer compassion for his mother’s treatment and a long time friendship he had shared with the judge.
Nwobike, who was called to bar in 1992, said that he received a telephone call from an EFCC official who simply introduced himself as ‘Zakari’, to report to the commission for an unknown issue.
He said, “when I received the call from Zakari, I recognised the voice and recalled that I had, at a time, cross examined him in a case involving my client and EFCC. So I decided to honor the invitation thinking that the purpose was maybe to relate on some issues of my clients I’ve handled with the commission.
“Arriving at the agency’s station, after thirty minutes of receiving the invitation, Zakari showed me a document which revealed my bank statement in United Bank for Africa (UBA). He pointed at a bank entry transfer of N750, 000 performed from my account to the account of Justice Yinusa.
“he, thereafter, requested that I rule in writing, explaining why the transfer was made and I did. I told him that I had enjoyed a long lasting relationship with the judge for over 19 years and especially when he was a staff at the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Responding to the purpose of the transaction, Nwobike said that he met Hon. Yinusa on one occasion when he told him how his mother’s deteriorating ill-health has cost him a lot of money. Yinusa told me that his mother was very ill and undergoing dialysis that he spends N250, 000 weekly on treating the illness.
“I felt so much compassion for him and promised to help in order to avert the death of his mother. Since I had no money on me at the time, I collected his account details and later transferred the said sum , in my own signature, to his account. He was so grateful and thanked me afterwards. But unfortunately his mother later died since they couldn’t go on with the treatment.
Nwobike, however, told the court that he did not transfer any other money to the judge apart from the N750, 000. He also said that he did not discus any official matter with the judge. “As a principle, I do not discuss official matters or judiciary issues with those in authorities and I never discussed any matter with him either before, during or after the money was paid”, Nwobike said.
Nwobike further denied the accusation that the transferred money was to induce the judge to refrain from giving a particular order in respect to a matter pending in his court. Akanni, thereafter, told the court that he had an earlier agreement with the prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo, to end today’s proceeding at a certain time to enable them attend to other matters.
Justice R. I. B Adebiyi, however, adjourned the matter till July 3rd and 4th, 2017 for continuation of trial and for defence to close her case.
