The Federal Government has filed a four-count corruption charge against former Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Justice Danladi Umar, over alleged bribery and abuse of office involving more than ₦15 million.
The charges, filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, accuse Umar of receiving financial benefits through members of his family from contractors awarded projects by the tribunal during his tenure.
According to the charge, Umar allegedly directed Kurchmives International Limited, a contractor engaged to paint the CCT headquarters, to pay ₦5.5 million into a bank account belonging to his wife in October 2021.
The government further alleged that ₦6 million was later paid into another account belonging to his wife by Portal Realities Limited, a company linked to a contractor responsible for the digitisation of the tribunal’s management records.
Prosecutors also accused Umar of benefiting from payments made directly to Baze University to cover tuition fees for two of his children, alleging that the funds were provided by the same contractor as an improper advantage connected to official contracts.
The Federal Government maintains that the payments amounted to acts of corruption and abuse of office in violation of Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws.
The case was scheduled for hearing before Justice U.P. Kekemeke at the Maitama Division of the FCT High Court.
Danladi Umar served as Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal for over a decade and presided over several high-profile asset declaration cases involving senior public officials, including President Bola Tinubu during proceedings relating to asset declaration allegations in 2011.
As of the time of filing the charges, Umar had not publicly responded to the allegations.
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