EFCC Tenders Video Evidence Against Rickey Tarfa Over Age Falsification
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday tendered video evidence before a Lagos State High Court in Igbosere allegedly showing how Chief Rickey Tarfa (SAN) declined to declare his age to the commission during investigation.
The video evidence was tendered through a member of the EFCC Special Task Force Unit, Zakari Usman, who also told the court that Tarfa refused to state his age seven times during his investigation for alleged obstruction of the agency’s operatives.
The EFCC is prosecuting the embattled Senior Advocate of Nigeria on a 26-count charge of obstruction of public officers, offering of gratification to a public officer and failure to declare assets.
The lawyer was alleged to had internationally gave the sum of N1.5 million to Justice Nganjiwa Hyeladzira Ajiya of a Federal High Court in Lagos, on June 27 2012, directly from his Zenith Bank Account No 1002926967, in order that the said judge acts in the exercise of his official duties.
The accused person was also accused of intentionally giving the same Judge the sum of N500,000, on the same day, in order that the said judge refrains from acting in the exercise of his official duties.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail on self recognizance.
Usman also told the trial judge, Justice Adedayo Akintoye, while being led in evidence by the counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo that the defendant also failed to declare his assets contrary to Section 7(a) and (b) of the EFCC Act.
The fourth prosecution witness also testified that the assets declaration form issued to Tarfa by the agency had a column requiring age declaration in seven places, but he refused to fill it.
He further told the judge that he and three other EFCC operatives were present when the defendant failed to make the required entries in the assets declaration form.
Usman narrated how he was assigned to investigate a complaint against Tarfa on 5 February, 2016, through a letter sent to his team.
His team, he added, wrote a letter to GTBank and information contained in the bank’s response showed the defendant’s date of birth as February 23, 1950.
The prosecution also played a video in court titled ‘Rickey Tarfa refusal,’ which allegedly showed the defendant’s alleged refusal to fill the form.
Usman said the agency made the video on February 10, 2016 during its interrogation of the defendant.
He identified the four persons in the video as himself, Mohammed Gali, Danladi and the defendant.
“I was there when defendant failed to filled the assets form,” Usman said.
Justice Akintoye adjourned till June 19, for continuation of trial.
