Ebun Francis || The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday filed two charges of fraud against the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar.
The charges, prepared by Festus Keyamo, an EFCC prosecutor, came two years after the anti-graft agency absolved CCT chairman of wrongdoing in a case of judicial bribery and racketeering.
Court filings showed that Mr. Umar collected N10 million from Rasheed Taiwo, a former Customs official who was facing false assets declaration charges before the Code of Conduct Tribunal sometimes in 2012.
The prosecution also accused Mr. Umar of receiving N1.8 million of the N10 million bribe sum through one of his personal assistants, Gambo Abdullahi.
The two counts of fraud contradicted Section 12(1) (a) and (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2003, Mr. Keyamo stated in charge affidavit prepared on January 25 and stamped on February 2 at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Count 1 read: “That you, DANLADI YAKUBU UMAR, being the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and presiding over a case with Charge No. CCT/ABJ/03/12, involving one Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, sometime in 2012, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did ask for the sum of N10,000,000.00 (Ten Million Naira) from the said Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, for a favour to be afterwards shown to him in relation to the pending Charge (No. CCT/ABJ/03/12) in discharge of your official duties and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 12(1)(a) & (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2003.
Count 2 read: “That you, DANLADI YAKUBU UMAR, being the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal and presiding over a case with Charge No. CCT/ABJ/03/12, involving one Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, sometime in 2012, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did receive the sum of N1,800,000.00 (One Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira) from the said Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, through your Personal Assistant by name Alhaji Gambo Abdullahi, for a favour to be afterwards shown to him in relation to the pending Charge (No. CCT/ABJ/03/12) in discharge of your official duties and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 12(1)(a) & (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act.”
The CCT chairman faces up to seven years’ imprisonment if found guilty.