The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a N4.8million unlawful enrichment charge against Justice Agbadu James Fishim of the National Industrial Court (NIC).
Justice Fishim is one of the five judicial officers recently recalled from suspension by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
The case has been listed for prosecution at the Lagos State High Court in Igbosere, although it is yet to be assigned to a judge.
Justice Fishim, according to the charge, will face 19 count of unlawful enrichment by a public official contrary to Section 82(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, No.11, 2011.
He is said to have illegally received various amounts of money “so as to have a significant increase in your assets that you cannot reasonably explain the increase in relation to your lawful income.”
He is accused of unlawfully receiving the N4.8m from seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), a non-Silk and a law firm between June 2013 and August 2015 through his account domiciled in First Bank Plc.
The SANs are Chief Felix Fagbohungbe, Paul Usoro, Uche Obi, Chief Adeniyi Akintola, Chief Gani Adetola-Kaseem, Dr. Joseph Nwobike and a ‘Dr. Banire’.
The others are a lawyer, Enobong Etteh, and Alliance Law Firm, said to be run by Obi.
The anti-graft agency claimed that Fagbohungbe gave the judge a total of N1.3 million in four instalments of N200,000.00, N700,000.00, N250,000 and N250,000.
Usoro allegedly gave him N1.1 million in three tranches of N350,000.00 N400,000 and N400,000.
The EFCC claimed that Etteh gave the judge N400,000 in two instalments of N200,00, while Adetola-Kaseem was said to have given him N100,000.
The EFCC further claimed that Uche Obi gave Justice Fishim N250,000 while his firm, Alliance Law Firm, gave the judge the same amount.
Akintola, according to the commission, gave the judge N500, 000 in four tranches of N200,000, N100,000, N100,000 and N100,000.
The EFCC also said Nwobike gave the judge N150,000 and N100,000 making a total of N250,000 while Banire gave him N500,000.
All of the alleged transactions occurred in Lagos.
The commission has listed 16 persons including six of the lawyers as witnesses in the case.
