Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has urged a Federal
High Court in Lagos to refuse an application by the embattled Justice Rita
Ofili-Ajumogobia seeking immediate release from the EFCC custody.
Ofili-Ajumogobia has been in EFCC custody since November 8.
The EFCC arrested her while probing the source of about
$793,800, which the EFCC claimed passed through her domiciliary accounts
between 2012 and 2015.
But Ofili-Ajumogobia filed a fundamental rights enforcement
suit seeking immediate release from custody.
Her lawyer, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), contended that the
continued detention of his client was a violation of her right.
He added that even the remand order obtained by the EFCC to
detain her had since elapsed.
On Friday, the EFCC, through its lawyer, Mr. Abdullahi
Idris, urged the court not to order the release of Ofili-Ajumogobia, saying it
was afraid that the detained judge would tamper with its evidence if released
on bail.
“The applicant (Ofili-Ajumogobia) was inducing and
interfering with our investigation since after she was released on bail, which
formed the basis of the revocation of the bail earlier granted her,” Idris told
Justice Muslim Hassan who is presiding over the case.
He said investigation by the EFCC had “yielded serious
positive result,” leading to the filing of a criminal charge against the judge
before Justice T. Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja.
Idris said Justice Oshodi had fixed next Monday, November
28, 2016 for Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia’s arraignment.
He said ordering her release from custody would
prejudice the charge pending before Justice Oshodi and urged Justice Hassan to
refuse the embattled judge’s application.
Punch
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