Tarfa demands N500m from EFCC over ‘malicious prosecution’

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Rickey Tarfa, is seeking N500 million from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as damages for alleged malicious prosecution.

Tarfa made the application on Wednesday in a no-case submission filed before the Lagos High Court in Igbosere, in response to the EFCC’s criminal charges against him.

The lawyer, through his counsel, Mr. Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), told Justice Adedayo Akintunde that the 26-count charge of alleged bribery and attempt to pervert the course of justice was malicious.

He prayed the court to make an example of the EFCC and “award N500m damages against the Commission.”

Tarfa has been standing trial before the judge since March 2016.

On October 23 last year, the anti-graft agency closed its case against the defendant following which he indicated his intention to file a no-case submission.

At Wednesday’s proceedings, Owonikoko picked holes in the Commission’s claims that Tarfa “refused and failed” to declare his assets, contrary to the EFCC Act.

According to him, Tarfa was entirely within his constitutional right to remain silent on the matter.

On the allegation in count three that the defendant lied about his age during interrogation on February 5, 2016 at the Commission’s Lagos office, Owonikoko distinguished between falsehood and a mistake.

According to him, Tarfa made a mistake, which the EFCC ought to have drawn his attention to, rather than springing a surprise on him by making the mistake a basis for a criminal charge.

Owonikoko also contested the charge that the defendant offered gratification to Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court, Bayelsa.

He submitted, among others, that the EFCC failed to link to Justice Nganjiwa, the deposits made by Tarfa to the accounts of a firm, Awa Ajia Nigeria Limited.

According to him, Tarfa “has never handled a case before Justice Nganjiwa.”

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