By Gbenga Abulude
Human Rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN) has written the Ayo Salami-led judicial panel investigating the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, over a misleading evidence against him.
Falana in a letter dated September 4, 2020, said Mr Gnahouse Nazaire and two others, who are on trial at the Lagos State High court, petitioned the panel that they were wrongly accused by the EFCC under Magu.
In the two charges pending at the Lagos State High court, Nazaire was accused of fraud against Madam Rachidatou Abdou, his former girlfriend and business partner.
Falana, who wrote on behalf of Abdou, his client, requested that the judicial panel should not recommend the termination of the charges against Nazaire and others at the Lagos court.
The human rights lawyer said Nazaire and others have been frustrating the court proceedings, and are now using the panel to have the criminal cases against them quashed.
The letter reads in part:
“Our client who is the complainant in both criminal cases has informed us that the defendants recently submitted a petition to the Honourable Judicial Commission of Inquiry headed by the Honourable Justice Issa Ayo Salami PCA (rtd) where they claimed, albeit falsely, that the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu abused his office by charging them with forgery and stealing in the Lagos State High Court on the basis of a petition written on her behalf by our law firm.
“We have since confirmed that the Honourable Judicial Commission entertained the petition, reviewed the two criminal cases pending in the Lagos State High Court and took evidence from the 2nd defendant who has been dismissed from the company on grounds of fraud. The tainted evidence of the defendants was said to have been corroborated by his lawyer who alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is currently prosecuting Mr. Ricky Tarfa SAN for defending the defendants in the criminal cases.
“Contrary to the spurious evidence of the defendants before the Honourable Judicial Commission our client’s petition was submitted to the EFCC under the chairmanship of Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde. The EFCC painstakingly investigated the complaint, indicted the defendants and charged them with forgery and uttering of documents at the Lagos State High Court on July 20, 2015. The Charge No was LD/1709C/2015 (FRN v Gnahoue Sourou Nazaire &2 Ors) was later amended with the leave of the learned trial judge.
“However, following the commencement of the criminal proceedings in the Lagos State High Court the defendants filed a fundamental right application (Suit No FHC/L/CS/715/2015) at the Federal High Court seeking to restrain the Attorney-General of the Federation, Inspector General of Police and EFCC from arresting, detaining and persecuting them on the basis of our client’s complaint”.
Recall that President Muhammadu
Buhari had established a 7-man Judicial Commission of Enquiry, chaired by retired Justice Ayo-Salami, to investigate the alleged financial impropriety and mismanagement of recovered assets levelled against Magu.
The panel was given 45 days to submit its report from the first day of its public sitting.
