The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has kicked against court orders stopping it from probing Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha.<\/p>\n
The EFCC, in a letter to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, accused Justice Taiwo Taiwo, who made the orders, of bias.<\/p>\n
In the letter by EFCC\u2019s Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, the commission requested the transfer of the cases from Justice Taiwo<\/p>\n
Magu also prayed the Federal High Court Chief Judge to also transfer all cases involving the EFCC from Justice Taiwo\u2019s court.<\/p>\n
His letter reads: \u201cYour lordship, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is the 4th defendant in the respective cases stated above which are pending before Honourable Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo of your lordship\u2019s court.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe commission respectfully requests your lordship to re-assign the above-stated cases and all other cases pending before Honourable Justice O. Taiwo in which it is involved to other judges of your lordship\u2019s court.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis application has become very necessary because of the commission\u2019s lack of confidence in his lordship\u2019s impartiality to dispense justice in any matter concerning it.<\/p>\n
\u201cParticularly more worrisome is that the said orders were made ex parte contrary to the acclaimed judicial depreciation of abuse of ex parte orders by court\u2019s and Rule 3.5 of the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which states: \u2018A judicial officer must avoid the power of issue interim injunctions ex parte.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the EFCC was conducting investigation on \u201callegations of corrupt practices by the Senate President, Olubukola Saraki, whilst as the Executive Governor of Kwara State and also as the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is also investigating Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the outgoing Executive Governor of Imo State for the same allegations of corrupt practices as the Executive Governor of the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
Magu recalled that Justice Taiwo had in the past \u201cdemonstrated obvious bias against the commission\u201d in a matter involving former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn June 24, 2016 the EFCC applied and secured an interim freezing order from the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division wherein his Lordship, Hon. Justice M.B. ldris ordered the Manager of Zenith Bank Plc to freeze bank accounts numbers 1003126654 and 9013074033 among others operated by Mr Ayodele Foyose pending the investigation and possible prosecution of the criminal case involving the accounts.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour Lordship, Mr. Ayodele Foyose subsequently instituted another suit in suit number. FHC\/AD\/15\/2016 at the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti Judicial Division praying the court for an order directing the EFCC and Zenith Bank Plc to wheeze and make operational the said accounts.<\/p>\n
\u201cShockingly, His Lordship. Honourable Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo, despite being aware of the pendency of the mower before Honourable Justice M .B ldris and his said order which were duly brought to his notice, proceeded to set it aside, thereby sitting as an appellate court over the decision of a court of coordinate jurisdiction.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was, however, not surprising that the Court of Appeal, on appeal, held that Honourable Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo ought not to have done what he did.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe judgment of the Court of Appeal in the appeal no. CA\/EK\/8C12017. EFCC V MR. AYODELE FAYOSE is attached 03 Annexure E.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurthermore, when the commission was conducting an investigation on acts of corruption allegedly perpetrated by some officials of the Ekiti State Government, the Attorney General of the State filed suit no. FHC\/AD\/CS\/32\/2016 against it and other persons.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis Lordship, Honourable Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo, on January 30, 2018 in his judgment in the said case no. FHC\/AD\/CS\/32\/2016 granted wholesale all the eight reliefs sought by the plaintiff in the suit which included perpetual injunctions restraining Ekiti State officials , Ekiti State House of Assembly and banks in which the accounts of the Ekiti State Government were maintained from disclosing or making available to it any document, financial statement or information relating to the public funds and accounts of Ekiti State.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis undoubtedly frustrated its investigation. A copy of the said judgment is attached as Annexure F.<\/p>\n
\u201cThough the commission is not by any means positing that His Lordship, Honourable Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo should always decide cases in its favour, even when it does not deserve it, the trend of His Lordship shows unbridled bias against it which has made it difficult for it to believe in His Lordship\u2019s impartiality.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has kicked against court orders stopping it from probing Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha. The EFCC, in a letter to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, accused Justice Taiwo Taiwo, who made the orders, of bias. In the letter by EFCC\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":2617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,15],"tags":[106,68,308,204,74,201],"class_list":["post-10491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-economy","tag-efcc","tag-ekiti","tag-government","tag-kwara-state","tag-state"],"yoast_head":"\n