EFCC files criminal charges against CCT chairman, Danladi Umar over N10m bribe

Danladi-Umar

Five years after allegedly demanding and collecting N10 million bribe from a litigant in a case filed in his tribunal, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has finally pressed charges against the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Mr. Danladi Yakubu Umar.

The charge marked CR: 109/18 and filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory is being handled by the Festus Keyamo and Offem Uket on behalf of the EFCC, which claims that the suspect demanded and collected the sum from a litigant, Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, a retired Customs officer, through his personal assistant, Gambo Abdullahi, in order to favour him in a case pending in his tribunal.

Count one of the charge reads: “ That you, Daladi Yakubu Umar, being the chairman of the CCT and presiding over a case with charge No.CCT/Abuja/03/12, involving one Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, sometime in 2012 at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, did ask for the sum of N10 million from the said Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, for the favour to be afterwards shown to him in relation to the pending charge in discharge of your official duties and thereby committed and offence contrary to Section 12(1)9a) and (b) of the ICPC Act 2003.

Count 2 charge reads: “That you, Daladi Yakubu Umar, being the chairman of the CCT and presiding over a case with charge No.CCT/Abuja/03/12, involving one Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, sometime in 2012 at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, did receive the sum of N1.8 million from the said Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo, through your personal assistant by name Gambo Abdullahi, for the favour to be afterwards shown to him in relation to the pending charge in discharge of your official duties and thereby committed and offence contrary to Section 12(1)9a) and (b) of the ICPC Act.

To push the case through, the EFCC has lined up six key witnesses against Umar, who was initially protected from prosecution by the same anti-graft agency, which had argued that there was no sufficient evidence to drag him to the court for corrupt practices despite public outcry.

EFCC has also obtained the proof of evidence including the Zenith Bank cheque and staff, who transferred the amount to Danladi’s PA’s account and other documents related to the charge.

It was unclear why the EFCC had decided to belatedly drag Umar to court but sources hinted that the action was not unconnected with the way the chairman handled the Senate President’s case, which he dismissed for want of sufficient evidence last year but was subsequently partly reinstated by the a higher court in the land.