RICKY TARFA'S TRIAL: Court Slams Senior Lawyers As 90 SANs Storm Court Premises

JUSTICE Aishat Opesanwo of the Lagos High Court on Tuesday slammed senior lawyers over the solidarity show it displayed at the Lagos State High Court by over-crowding the court premises with ninety (90) Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) in favour of the arraigned colleague, Rickey Tarfa.

Tarfa who appeared before the Court in Igbosere, on 2-count charge of obstruction of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice pleaded not guilty to both counts.

Based on his plea, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo prayed the court for a trial date and to remand the defendant in custody.

However, Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) who led a team of over 90 Senior Advocates and other lawyers to represent Mr. Tarfa, said they had filed an application for bail in favour of the defendant adding that the defendant submitted voluntarily to court summon and therefore should be granted administrative bail on self-recognition. He also argued that as a senior member of the bar with no criminal record, the defendant would not jump bail if granted.

Arguing the motion, prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, urged the court to dismiss the application as the offence the suspect was charged for is a serious one, and therefore urged the court to rather order for accelerated hearing.

However, Justice Opesanwo, in her ruling, granted bail to Mr. Tarfa on self-recognition but ordered that the defendant must not travel out of the country without the permission of the court.  On the number of counsels standing in for the defendant, the trial judge vehemently decried the development stating that it leaves much to be desired of senior lawyers as it overtly amounts to intimidation and harassment of the court.

Soon after the ruling, the defense counsel informed the court that he had filed an application to quash the charge while the prosecution countered stating that he had not been served leading to his service in the court. After consideration of the prayers and rejoinder, Justice Opesanwo adjourned the matter to March 14, for hearing of the application to quash the charge while the substantive case was fixed for April 20, 2016 for trial.

The two-count charge filed against Tarfa, a senior advocate of Nigeria by the EFCC reads as follows;

Count 1:

“That You Rickey Tarfa (SAN) on or about the 5th day of February, 2016 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, willfully obstructed Moses Awolusi and Sanusi Mohammed, authorized officer of Economic and Financial Crime Commission from arresting GNANHOUE SOUROU and NAZAIRE ODESTE who were reasonably suspected to have committed economic and financial crimes by keeping the said suspects in your car between 11.00 hours to 16: 30 hours”

Count 2:

“RICKEY TARFA (SAN) between 11th of May and 25th of June, 2015 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court attempted to pervert the course of justice by communicating with Hon. Justice M.N. Yunusa of the Federal High Court through your mobile

Telephone No. 08034600000 whilst suit No: FHC/L/CS/715/2015 between Rana Prestige Industries Nigeria and EFCC and Suit No: FHC/L/CS/716 between Hair Prestige Manufacturing Nigeria and EFCC filed by you on behalf of the applicants in the two suits seeking to retrain the commission from performing its statutory duties were pending before the said judge”.