SAN FRANCISCO, January 23, (THEWILL) – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC) over alleged misconduct of three judges.
In a letter dated January 5, 2018, the EFCC asked the NJC to take disciplinary action against the three judges – Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa and Justice Agbadu Fishim – who are all facing trial in several courts.
The petition became necessary due to a judgment by the Court of Appeal last December which ruled that the EFCC does not have powers to investigate or prosecute serving judicial officers, except where such officers have been dismissed by the NJC.
This formed part of the court’s verdict while striking out 14 fraud charges to the tune of $260,000 slammed on Justice Nganjiwa of the Bayelsa Division of the Federal High Court by the EFCC.
While the anti-graft agency had challenged the ruling at the Supreme Court, it decided to also write to the NJC so that fraud cases against other judges would not be scuttled.
THEWILL recalls that Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia is facing 26 charges before a Lagos State High Court bordering on unlawful enrichment, corruption, forgery and giving false information to an official of the EFCC.
Justice Fishim, on his part, was accused of receiving an aggregate of N3.5m from seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria, one other Lagos-based lawyer and one law firm between 2013 and 2015 allegedly paid into the judge’s First Bank account with number 3008199491.
According to the EFCC, Justice Fishim allegedly received a total of N1.15m from Chief Felix Fagbohungbe (SAN) between December 5, 2013 and February 26, 2015.
