The sword of Damocles hovering over the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, has refused to clear as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday insisted that he was implicated in a N10 million bribery allegations.
Although the CCT had earlier displayed a letter of clearance by the anti-graft agency, during a session at the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the EFCC, however, insisted that he was indeed implicated in the bribery scandal.
The bribery allegation was brought against Umar by a retired Customs Comptroller, Rasheed Taiwo Owolabi, who is standing trial before him.
The anti-graft agency told the Abuja High Court that the personal assistant to the CCT chairman, Gambo Abdullahi, named the CCT chairman as the beneficiary of the part payment made by Owolabi.
During a trial within trial by Justice Christiana Orji, the EFCC said the denial made by Abdullahi after his first statement of September 9, 2013 was mere afterthought.
Testifying before Justice Orji, an operative with EFCC, Abdulmajeed Ibrahim, who led the investigation into the bribery allegations told the judge that Abdullahi freely made statement on September 2013 to the effect that the CCT boss allegedly asked him to act on his behalf.
He told the court that the denial made by Abdullahi in another statement cannot invalidate the first statement because it was voluntarily made by the accused person.
The witness who was led in evidence by EFCC counsel urged the court to disregard and reject the denial of Abdullahi that he did not give the bribery money to Justice Umar.
Also testifying, another detective with EFCC, Bala Mohammed, told the court how he was invited in 2013 to participate in the investigation of a petition of Owolabi concerning a N10 million bribery demand by the CCT boss.
Justina Orji adjourned the case till June 14 for Abdullahi to enter his defence in the trial within trial.
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