A Federal High Court, Lagos has thrown out an application by a prominent lawyer, Ricky Tarfa, SAN, seeking to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, from prosecuting him.
Read: EFCC arrests senior advocate, Rickey Tarfa, for obstructing justice
The EFCC had on February 8, 2016 slammed a two-count charge on him bordering on obstruction of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Tarfa, who was arrested on February 5, 2016 by EFCC operatives for allegedly hiding two suspects – Nazaire Sorou Gnanhoue and Modeste Finagnon – in his Mercedes Benz Sports Utility Vehicle, SUV, with the intent of shielding them from being arrested, had gone to court seeking to stop his prosecution by the EFCC.
Read this too: Rickey Tarfa slammed N2.5bn suit against EFCC for illegal arrest, detention
Justice Idris, however, threw out his application, thus clearing the way for his prosecution by the EFCC.
Meanwhile, Justice Idris ruled that the EFCC should not disturb the rights and privileges of Tarfa pending the determination of the N2.5billion damage suit he filed against the anti-graft agency.
Apart from the monetary compensation, Tarfa had also asked the court to compel the defendants which included Moses Awolusi, the operatives that illegally arrested him and the Deputy Director Operations, EFCC, Lagos office, Iliyasu Kwarbai, to release his two mobile handsets deceitfully collected from him on Friday, February, 5 2016 at their Ikoyi office in Lagos to the court for the purpose of destructing all information, data and other retrievable materials stored in the two handsets.
He also urged the court to direct the defendants to release his Mercedes Benz SUV with registration No. KJA 700CG unlawfully seized from him.
The court adjourned to Februay 19 for the continuation of the matter.
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