Former deputy comptroller general of the Nigerian Customs Service, Mr. Rasheed Taiwo Owolabi, has accused the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, Mr. Danladi Yakubu Umar, of corruption and bias and demanded that he disqualifies himself from the tribunal panel that would try him on false asset declaration charges.
Owolabi is standing trial on a one-count charge of failure to declare his assets throughout his career in the public service, contrary to paragraph II (1) of the Fifth Schedule, Part 1, an offence punishable under paragraph 18 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
The former Custom boss claimed that Umar, in 2012, shortly after the charge was slammed on him, approached him for a bribe of N10m to pervert the cause of justice in a criminal matter filed by the Federal Government. In his motion on notice filed and argued by his counsel, Mr. Festus Ukpe, the applicant claimed that he reported Umar to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, prompting his arrest and interrogation on the alleged bribery request.
Owolabi claimed that he would never get fair trial and justice from the CCT boss, having implicated him in the bribery saga and which led to the ongoing trial of his personal assistant, Ali Gambo Abdullahi, for criminal offence at an Abuja High Court.
Specifically, Owolabi alleged that the CCT boss has become biased against him for dragging him (Umar) to the anti–graft agency on his demand for N10m bribe and the part-payment of N1.8m, hence he would not get justice before the tribunal as required by law.
Owolabi who appeared at the tribunal yesterday prayed that the charge against him since 2012 be struck out for want of diligent prosecution and for the likelihood of bias against him. The defence counsel predicated the motion asking Umar to disqualify himself on 5-five issues, among which is that during the pendency of his trial, he made several allegations of graft against the CCT chairman which led to the trial of his personal assistance.
He insisted that it has become legally impossible for the CCT chairman to adjudicate on the matter because of a real likelihood of bias. However, in opposing the motion, the Code of Conduct Bureau, which on behalf the Federal Government filed the charge against the ex-Custom’s chief urged the tribunal chairman to dismiss the motion on the ground that it lacks merit.
