EFCC Files Fraud Charges against CCT Chairman, Danladi Umar

By Davidson Iriekpen

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed fraud charges against the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Yakubu Umar.

According to the charge sheet filed on behalf of the anti-corruption agency by Festus Keyamo at the High Court of FCT in Abuja, Umar was accused of demanding N10million from one Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo in order to be shown favour in relation to a pending charge at CCT.

In the two-count charge preferred against the accused person, he was also accused of receiving N1,800,000 from the said Taiwo, through his Personal Assistant, Alhaji Gambo Abdullahi.

The offences are contrary to Section 12(1)(a) and (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2003.

The first charge read: “That you, Danladi Yakubu Umar, being the Chairman of the CCT 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 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.

The second charge against the CCT boss read: “That you, Danladi Yakubu Umar, being the Chairman of the CCT 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 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, 2003.

According to Keyamo, the list of documents to be relied upon for the prosecution of the case include petition dated  June 20, 2013, by Taiwo; statement of the defendant; Zenith Bank statement of Taiwo; Zenith Bank statement of Ali Gambo Abdullahi; copy of Zenith Bank cheque of Taiwo; copy of Zenith Bank cheque of Ali Gambo Abdullahi; All processes and documents in charge No. CCT/ABJ/03/12; statements of witnesses; other relevant documents and proof of evidence

 The anti-corruption agency had over two years ago commenced the probe of the CCT chairman and submitted a preliminary report to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

It was learnt that copies of the petitions that were submitted to the National Assembly in 2015 by anti-corruption groups, were also sent to the EFCC for investigations.

The Senate had in November 2015 directed its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to conduct a comprehensive investigations into the allegations of corruption levelled against Umar.

The directive followed a petition submitted by a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator,  Obinna Obah, from  Ebonyi State.

The petition, which was signed by one Ajaso I. Ajaso on behalf of a group,  Anti-Corruption Network, was submitted  six weeks after the House of Representatives began  a separate investigation into the same petition.

The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki,  referred the petition to the committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions and asked the Chairman, Samuel Anyanwu, to carry out a thorough investigation and report back in two weeks.

The CCT chairman, however, did not appear before the committee. The chairman, while presenting the report, said the investigation had been suspended because the House of Representatives was carrying out a similar exercise.

In the House, findings indicated that hearing on the petition was eventually stalled after the petitioners, the Anti-Corruption Network, could not prove the allegations against Umar.

The judge had made several appearances before the panel, which was chaired by Mr. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, but frustration set in after the petitioners kept delaying proceedings.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, had appeared before the committee to admit that his office investigated the allegations.

However, Malami told the panel that the report of the investigations showed that the allegations were based on “mere suspicions.”

The matter was later stalled at the committee.

This made the EFCC to clear him of any culpability in the N10 million bribery allegation levelled against him.

In the clearance letter signed by the Secretary of the commission, Emmanuel Adegboyega Aremo and addressed to the SGF, it explained its inability to establish a prima facie evidence against the CCT chairman.

However, recently, strong indications started emerging that the anti-graft commission would reopen investigation into the allegations.