Corruption As Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar, Current Chairman Of Code of Conduct Tribunal, Abuja, Took Bribe.

Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar, Current Chairman Of Code of Conduct Tribunal, Abuja.

The Presidency is in dilemma over what to do with the embattled Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal,  Justice Danladi Umar, who has been embroiled in a N10 million bribery scandal, forcing the two other members of the tribunal to refuse sitting with him.

The two other judges of the CCT, Robert Odu rtd and Agwaza Atedze had in a joint letter to former President Goodluck Jonathan and copied to the EFCC, drew the attention of the government to the N10 million bribery allegation made against Umar, saying that the issue had brought serious embarrassment to them and the tribunal.
“May we with respect, draw His Excellency’s attention to the allegation of N10 million bribe made against Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar, current chairman of Code of Conduct Tribunal, Abuja, which is being investigated by the EFCC”, they reportedly said.
This allegation has been widely reported in the media, besides embarrassing comments from legal practitioners who have been calling to express their disappointment over the shocking development, although investigation is yet to be concluded.
“We, the two members of the CCT and the entire staff are embarrassed and saddened by this allegation because a tribunal set up to check corruption should not be accused of being corrupt. This would not be in keeping with the transformation agenda of the administration.
“We are mindful of the fact that the Federal Government has zero tolerance policy for corruption, and this is the reason for the establishment of the CCT as one of the agencies to fight corruption in all its ramifications.
“It is our prayer therefore that this allegation will be looked into so that the tribunal can start sitting in the interest of litigants and their counsel,” the two members said in the letter dated April 4, 2014.

Sunday Vanguard investigations spanning weeks indicate that although the Presidency has been embarrassed by the gamut of evidence adduced by key government officials against Umar, it was however handicapped by the fact that the said man is handling the trial of persons suspected to be corrupt.
It was learnt that the Presidency was however carefully studying the bribery case against Umar so as to take a definite and prompt action that would not tarnish the image of the CCT and the administration.
Confusion is said to have become the lot of the Presidency as to whether to move against Umar based on the advice of the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, to former President Jonathan, that Umar should be removed from office based on the scandal or to initiate a new probe of the bribery scandal.
Adoke was also said to have authorised the EFCC on June 25, 2014, to prosecute Umar and his PA based on the findings by the commission.
In the investigation carried out by the EFCC under its recently removed Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, Umar was alleged to have demanded and collected the sum of N1.8 million from one Rasheed Taiwo, a former Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, who was arraigned at the CCT over false declaration of assets.
To pave the way for the prosecution, EFCC crack investigators swopped on Zenith Bank, through which Taiwo allegedly paid the first tranche of N1.8 out of the N10 million to Umar through his PA, Gambo Abdullahi, and retrieved the cheque number and details of the transactions.
The Zenith Bank cheque for the amount of N1.8 million was issued by Taiwo Rasheed Owolabi on December 12, 2012 from his Bourdillon Branch on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, and received the same day by Gambo Abdullahi in his Usuma Branch, Maitama Abuja.
Evidence available to Sunday Vanguard also shows that with the payment of the N1.8 million into Abdullahi’s account, his balance in that account rose to N1, 900, 448, 41. The money was promptly withdrawn the same day by the Abdullahi, who told EFCC investigators that he handed over the cash to Umar by hand.

EFCC’s findings showed that Umar used his telephone number, 08033367814 to communicate with Taiwo whose phone number with which he established constant communication with the CCT chairman was given as 08074455022.
Based on the findings, the former EFCC chairman, in a memo dated June 24, 2014, and addressed to the Attorney General of the Federation, Adoke, said that it was obvious from their findings that the CCT chairman might have collected the said amount of money from Taiwo.
The agency said however that it was unable to carry out forensic analysis of the telephone number of Umar, since he insisted that he had since lost that phone.