There's been
some controversies over the alleged "bribe" given to Justice Adeniyi
Ademola by the lawyer who represented President Muhammadu Buhari during his
missing certificate case saga. To make the situation clearer, we bring you the full story:
missing certificate case saga. To make the situation clearer, we bring you the full story:
A Senior
Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Joe Agi, who is being prosecuted along with Justice
Ademola of a Federal High Court, has told the Department of State Services that
President Buhari’s lawyer paid N500,000 to the judge in 2015.
Mr. Agi said
Mr. Kola Awodein (SAN) paid the money to Justice Ademola in 2015 at the time
the judge was presiding over Buhari’s certificate case.
He had told to
a DSS investigator that the sum of N500,000 paid to Justice Ademola by Awodein
was not meant to be a bribe but a gift for the wedding of the judge’s daughter.
This came to
the fore on Tuesday when a DSS investigator, Mr. Babatunde Adepoju, was
testifying before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Maitama, as
the 16th prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Justice Ademola, his wife,
Olabowale and Agi.
Adepoju made
the disclosure while being cross-examined by defence lawyers.
Justice
Ademola, Olabowale and Agi, are being jointly prosecuted by the Office of the
Attorney General of the Federation on charges, including receiving and giving
gratification to influence the course of justice.
Among the 18
counts preferred against the defendants, was an allegation that on January 5,
2015, in his capacity as a public servant, Justice Ademola “corruptly received”
from Agi a BMW Saloon 320i valued at N8.5m through his son, Ademide Ademola, as
gratification in the exercise of his official functions as a judge.
The
prosecution also alleged in about five other counts, that Justice Ademola,
through his wife, received gratification of N30m in three instalments of N10m
each from Agi between March 11 and March 26, 2015.
Under
cross-examination on Tuesday, Adepoju confirmed that in the course of
investigating the case against the defendants, he interrogated and took the
statements of Justice Ademola and Agi only.
The witness
also confirmed that Agi had disclosed the information of Awodein’s payment of
N500,000 to Justice Ademola to him (Adepoju), in the course of interrogation.
He also said
that Agi explained under interrogation that the N30m he paid into Olabowale’s
account was the money contributed by his and Justice Ademola’s mutual friends
for the judge’s daughter’s wedding.
The witness,
who had concluded his evidence-in-chief on Monday, confirmed under
cross-examination that, among those who, like many other friends, sent monetary
gifts to Justice Ademola about the time of his daughter’s wedding in 2015 was
Awodein.
Awodein used
to be a lawyer in the defence team of the then presidential candidate of the
APC, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (now the President), who was faced with a
series of suits seeking his disqualification from participating in the March
28, 2015 presidential election for failing to submit his academic certificates
to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Adepoju
confirmed that Agi had said under interrogation that while the certificate case
filed by one Mr. Chukwunweike Okafor was pending before Justice Ademola,
Awodein paid the sum of N500,000 into the judge’s account as gift for the
judge’s daughter’s wedding.
The encounter
between Agi’s lawyer, Mr. Jeph Njikonye, and Adepoju went thus:
Lawyer: In
that interview, he (Agi) told you that the wedding gift passed by Ken Hubert
and Bassey Nassey was not the only wedding gift.
Witness: Yes.
Lawyer: He
(Agi) also told you that Buhari’s lawyer, Mr. President’s lawyer, also passed a
gift of N500,000 to the family through him.
Witness: Yes
Lawyer: The
name of the lawyer is Mr. Kola Awodein (SAN).
Witness: Yes
Lawyer: The
third defendant (Agi) further informed you that within the period (before and
after the wedding) that Buhari’s certificate case was pending before the first
defendant (Justice Ademola).
Witness: Yes
Lawyer: Was
President Buhari’s lawyer paying the money in order to win his case?
Witness: No
Lawyer: To say
that it (the money paid by Awodein) was a bribe would be a speculation.
Witness: Yes
Lawyer: To
describe the gifts passed through the third defendant by mutual friends as
bribe would be speculative.
Witness: Yes
When earlier
cross-examined by Chief Robert Clarke, Olabowale’s lawyer, the witness agreed
that in African culture, it was usual for people to be “showered with gifts”
when having any of naming, wedding and funeral ceremonies.
On the BMW car
gift, Adepoju confirmed that the judge’s son, Ademide, said under interrogation
that Agi was his mentor and that the car was a fulfilment of a long-promised
gift from the Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
The witness
also admitted that the initial allegations that Justice Ademola received bribe
from the immediate-past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.),
as well as from the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu,
for the bail he granted them, were not backed by evidence.
He said he
confirmed in the course of investigation that the Federal Government did not
oppose either of the two accused persons’ bail applications when heard by
Justice Ademola.
The witness
also confirmed that a magistrate earlier granted bail to Kanu but the order of
bail was not complied with.
He said he was
not aware if the magistrate had been put on trial.
On the
allegation that the N30m paid to the judge’s wife was probably a bribe for an
order of garnishee nisi granted in favour of Agi’s clients for the enforcement
of a $3.2bn judgment earlier given by the judge, Adepoju confirmed that, his
“initial view of the matter is based on incomplete knowledge.”
The lead
prosecuting counsel, Mr. Segun Jegede, announced after the defence lawyers
finished cross-examining Adepoju and the witness subsequently re-examined, on
Tuesday, that the prosecution had closed its case.
Jegede called
three bankers as additional prosecution witnesses on Tuesday.
With a total
of 19 witnesses, he announced that the prosecution had closed its case.
But the
defence lawyers said they would file no-case submission.
The trial
judge, Justice Jude Okeke, directed that the defence must file the no-case
submission and the prosecution should respond before March 19.
He fixed March
19 for the hearing of the no-case submission.
- This is a
complicated case. N30million gift for your daughter wedding, etc. etc. Hmmm!
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