Tribunal Reserves Ruling in Application to Disqualify Umar

• Accused insists CCT chairman demanded bribe from him
Toni Soniyi in Abuja

The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has reserved ruling in an application by a former Deputy Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Rasheed Taiwo Owolabi, seeking to stop CCT Chairman, Mr. Danladi Yakubu Umar, from continuing with his trial on the grounds that he would not get justice from Umar.

Owolabi had accused Umar of corruption and bias and demanded that he disqualifies himself from the tribunal panel that will try him on false asset declaration charges.

Owolabi is standing trial on a one-count charge of failure to declare his assets throughout his career in the public service contrary to paragraph II (1) of the Fifth Schedule, Part 1 and punishable under Paragraph 18 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

But the ex-customs chief claimed that Umar in 2012, shortly after the charge was slammed on him, once approached him for a bribe of N10million from him to pervert the cause of justice in a criminal matter filed by the federal government.

In his motion on notice filed and argued by his counsel Mr. Festus Ukpe, the applicant claimed that he reported Umar to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prompting his arrest and interrogation on the alleged bribery request.

Owolabi said he would never get fair trial and justice from the CCT boss, having implicated him in the bribery saga and which led to the ongoing trial of his Personal Assistant, Ali Gambo Abdullahi for criminal offence at an Abuja High Court

Owolabi had alleged that the CCT boss had become biased against him for dragging him (Umar) to the anti-graft agency on his demand for N10million bribe and the part payment of N1.8million, hence he could not get justice before Umar.

Owolabi who appeared at the tribunal yesterday, prayed that the charge against him since 2012 be stuck out for want of diligent prosecution and for the likelihood of bias against him.

The defence counsel predicated the motion asking Umar to disqualify himself on five issues among which was that during the pendency of his trial, he made several allegations of graft against the CCT Chairman, which led to the trial of his PA in respect of the allegation.
He insisted that it had become legally impossible for the CCT chairman to adjudicate over the matter because of a real likelihood of bias by Umar against him.

The applicant therefore asked Umar to disqualify himself on the grounds that he (applicant) would not get fair trial and justice from any trial conducted by Umar.
However, in opposing the motion, the Code of Conduct Bureau, which on behalf the federal government filed the charge against the ex-custom’s chief urged the tribunal chairman to dismiss the motion on the grounds that it lacked merit.

Counsel to the CCB, Mr. Peter Danladi, who is prosecuting the defendant, told the tribunal that the motion was a ploy to further delay the trial, adding that the tribunal had in 2013 filed a motion at the court of appeal but abandoned the appeal.

The CCB lawyer said the tribunal chairman would not take the place of the prosecution as the tribunal had always held that the prosecution should prove its case beyond reasonable doubt even though the offence of failure to declare one’s assets was a strict liability offence.

He said: “This application is vexatious and a ploy to stop the trial of the accused. It is in the interest of justice to deny this application and ask the accused to be ready for his trial at this tribunal.

“The prosecution has filed a counter affidavit dated May 25. It was disposed to by one Suzanne with a three paragraph affidavit and attached to it are three exhibits. We are relying in all the paragraphs in the affidavit as counter to the Motion on Notice.

Also, we have filed a written address in which they raised three issues for determination.
“When the accused was arraigned he took his plea and pleaded not guilty only for them to return, alleging likelihood of bias. We ask thus Honourable tribunal to deny the application and ask him to stand trial.”
The tribunal chairman, Mr. Danladi Yakubu Umar has fixed June 14 for ruling on the motion.