…THE REAL STORY BEHIND ONNOGHEN\u2019S TRAVAILS<\/p>\n
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Joe Agi, currently being prosecuted for
\nalleged paying $30,000.00 into the domiciliary account of Justice Walter
\nOnnoghen, has said he is being attacked because he fought and exposed the
\nfrauds in the $3.18million Paris Club refund.<\/p>\n
In a statement sent to Pointblanknews.com, Agi challenged the Federal
\nGovernment and the Attorney General of the Federation to state the real
\nreasons for his arrests and prosecution.<\/p>\n
His statement reads:<\/p>\n
Following the illegal and fraudulent deductions from the local government
\naccounts,\u00a0 I Joe Agi SAN exposed and tenaciously fought for the refund of
\nthe illegal deductions of the sum of $3.18 Billion corruptly deducted from
\nthe accounts of Local Government in Nigeria at the Federal High Court in
\nSuit No. FHC\/ABJ\/CS\/130\/2013.<\/p>\n
The Federal Government who fraudulently deducted the money has returned
\npart of it to the local governments following Judgment against it in the
\ncase led by myself (Joe Agi, SAN). But shockingly, instead of
\ninvestigating and prosecuting those who stole the money, the Government
\nacting through its agents and agencies such as Abubakar Malami, SAN (The
\nAttorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice) and the
\nEconomic and Financial Crimes Crime Commission (EFCC) unjustifiably framed
\nme up and charged in a trumped up and baseless charges of bribing Justice
\nA. F. A. Ademola, the trial Judge, with N30M and a car to give the Paris
\nClub Refund Judgment. The charge has since been quashed by the Court and
\nI, Joe Agi, SAN was discharged and acquitted.<\/p>\n
Is this not a case of the corruption fighting back? The Federal Government
\ndid not even go on Appeal against the Judgment as it does not have any
\ncase but to bury its face in shame.<\/p>\n
In the intervening period, the Federal Government has reluctantly refunded
\npart of the Paris Club Refund but deliberately failed to mention my name
\n(Joe Agi, SAN) as the hero who exposed Paris Club fraud and secured its
\nrefund rather than vilifying me as corrupt and a bribe giver.<\/p>\n
The High Court has since cleared me and the Court of Appeal has also
\naffirmed. The pertinent question is: Do Joe Agi, SAN not deserve National
\nHonours for exposing such monumental national fraud? Indeed, every
\nNigerian has taken benefit of fight against corruption by the billions of
\nNaira released to states and local government through the Paris Club
\nRefund which I fought for.<\/p>\n
$30,000 paid to Justice Onnoghen account \u2013 in Standard Charged Bank.<\/p>\n
I, Joe Agi, SAN have been acquainted with Justice Onnoghen, JSC in our
\ndays as Lawyers in Calabar, Cross Rivers State from the 1980s\u2019 before he
\nwas appointed a High Court Judge.<\/p>\n
In the year 2009, I brought to his knowledge that he can open a
\ndomiciliary account instead of travelling with cash from Nigeria to abroad
\non seminars, holidays, conferences or medical trips. My Lord Justice
\nOnnoghen said he had no idea since opening of foreign account was
\nforbidden for Public Officers. I informed him that domiciliary account is
\nnot a foreign bank account as it is opened and operated within the local
\nbanks in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
It was on this note that I went to my banker Standard Chartered Bank and
\nobtained Account Opening Forms for him as a friend and Senior Brother. He
\ncompleted the Forms and I refereed him. He gave me $30,000 been left over
\nof his allowances for overseas seminars, holidays, conferences or medical
\ntrips to deposit for him as the first deposit. This I did in 2009 i.e 10
\nyears ago. After that he operated the account himself without me paying
\neven a cent into that account till date.<\/p>\n
Now 10 years after, I am again being vilified and accused of giving
\nJustice Onnoghen bribe. If I may ask; bribe for which case? In the Supreme
\nCourt panel they sit in 5 or 7 persons, was the $30,000 for the 5 or 7
\nJustices? And for which case? This is another huge joke aimed at vilifying
\nmy person by the same cabal who are hell bent on tarnishing my image as an
\naftermath of the exposure of the Paris Club fraud.<\/p>\n
Is it a crime for Judges to have friends or acquaintances? I challenge the
\nAttorney General Malami, SAN and the EFCC to come forward with their proof
\nthat the $30,000 Onnoghen sent me to deposit for him 10 years ago was as a
\nresult of bribery. I challenge them to come out openly on the real reason
\nwhy they are out to tarnish my image. They should be bold enough to open
\nup rather than hiding under the guise of fight against corruption as a
\nsmokescreen to lunch a smear campaign against my person.<\/p>\n
The Government should be sincere and serious about fighting corruption and
\nnot be engaged in the deliberate destruction of the names of its citizens
\nwhom they perceive as enemies.<\/p>\n
Which Nigerian alive today can say he has not benefited from the Paris
\nClub Refund? Yet Joe Agi, SAN who is the face of Paris Club refund is
\nbeing hounded and haunted instead of being celebrated. God save us!<\/p>\n
Let it be known that very prominent people in the present government have
\ncorruptly and fraudulently taken the legal fees due to me from the Paris
\nClub Refund and the EFCC have seen nothing wrong with it.<\/p>\n
Conscience is like a wound, only time can heal it.<\/p>\n
Joe Agi, SAN<\/p>\n
…THE REAL STORY BEHIND ONNOGHEN\u2019S TRAVAILS A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Joe Agi, currently being prosecuted for alleged paying $30,000.00 into the domiciliary account of Justice Walter Onnoghen, has…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n