Igbinedion denies bribing judge, court rules May 31 on ex-govs motion

FORMER Edo State Governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, yesterday denied paying N10 billion to a judge in order to thwart his ongoing trial.The allegation was reportedly made by a senior Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) official.Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Benin City will on May 31 rule on the preliminary objection raised by Igbinedion over the Federal Governments bid to trial him twice over the same allegations as argued by his lead counsel, Chief Rickey Tarfa (SAN).A statement by the Head of Chambers, Rickey Tarfa & Co, Mr. Olusegun John Odubela, on behalf of the former governor, said: Our client did not or will not take any take step to subvert the cause of justice. We challenge the EFCC to produce the so-called petition against the judge.It will be in the interest of the media to desist from make-belief information emanating from the commission as we have the instruction of our client to clear his name in the court of law.However, defence lawyers and relatives of detained bank chiefs chased the EFCC operatives round Lagos at the weekend as the commission sought a courts ex-parte order to remand them in custody for another two weeks.In a mild drama, lawyers and relatives of the bank chiefs followed the EFCC officials from the Awolowo Road office of the commission to a magistrate court in Oyingbo, near Ebute-Metta.Relatives of the bank chiefs alleged that the EFCC had tried to avoid having any lawyer present by driving to Sabo, Yaba Magistrates Court and then quickly making their way to Oyingbo in order to shake them off as well as the lawyers who followed them.The EFCC counsel told the court that the basis of the order for remand was to enable it file new charges against the bank chiefs.The EFCC further argued that the matter for remand for an alleged criminal offence such as the one they brought before the magistrates was an ex-parte one.The magistrates at Oyingbo gave an order for their detention for a further two weeks despite an order from the Federal High Court to release them since they were already on bail and facing similar charges. 
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