Another twist has just been added to the N225,000 bribery allegation involving top lawyer, Ricky Tarfa, SAN and Justice Mohammed Yunusa.
The Adamawa-born lawyer, YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine have it on good authority, just instituted a privacy violation and invasion suit against the Ibrahim Magu-led Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, telecoms giant, MTN, legal luminary, Femi Falana, SAN and others. According to him, the parties allegedly erred by accessing his call records and log (via his seized IPhone 6, with number 08034600000) without his consent and authority as well as releasing same to Sahara Reporters and other media houses. Which was widely celebrated in both print and electronic media.
He is therefore praying the court to compel them to pay him N5 billion as damages.
Tarfa, it would be recalled, was arrested by EFCC on Friday, February 5, 2016 for allegedly obstructing the smooth flow of Justice a la preventing their operatives from making some arrest. His phones were seized and his Mercedes Benz SUV, with number plate KJA 700 CL, also impounded.
It was in the course of this that EFCC allegedly uncovered the N225,000 paid into Justice Mohammed Yunusa’s account. Yunusa, by the way, was overseeing a case involving Tarfa’s clients, Ghanhoue Nazaire and Mrs. Rashidatou Abdou, of Rama Prestige Industries Nigeria Ltd. The estranged partners, from Benin Republic, fell out since 2011 and have been in court, with the two Senior Advocates of Nigeria leading their legal teams.
Defending himself however, Tarfa has continued to maintain that the money that allegedly exchanged hands between him and Yunusa was for burial support – Yunusa lost his father in law months back, invited him to the burial and because he couldn’t attend, he decided to show his support with the said N225,000 – which is now threatening to dent his glorious career and hard-earned reputation.