According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke with newsmen the investigation was prompted by a tip-off from a whistleblower who petitioned the EFCC to look into the activities of Mr Saleh, who is accused of eating fat on the court’s funds while neglecting vital projects.
Mr Saleh was accused of conspiring with Surajo Muhammad, the son of former Chief Justice of Nigeria Muhammad Tanko, to steal public funds.
Despite lacking the qualifications and competence to handle judicial matters, Mr Muhammad (Jnr) managed the Supreme Court’s affairs and used his father’s position as a tool to carry out backroom deals.
“Today (June 1), Surajo could be said to be a de facto head of the SCN as his father seems to have relinquished the administration of the court to him, even when he is not a staff,” the petition noted.
Citing instances of their brazen underhand dealings, the petition said the duo sold off the residence of a Supreme Court justice without the knowledge of Mr Tanko, who was CJN at the time.
“It will interest you to know that a residence of a justice of the Supreme Court located in the villa, Abuja was sold by Gambo and Surajo recently. The underhand dealings between Gambo, Surajo and the agency so pissed the CJN that he ordered the reversal of the transaction,” added the petition with no. EFCC/PET/HQR/1817/2022, dated June 1 and seen.
However, before the situation could be resolved, the building was demolished, leaving the justice who should have been assigned the residence homeless.
Mr Saleh allegedly conspired with Mr Muhammad to withhold funds intended for the purchase of exotic vehicles normally assigned to newly sworn-in justices, according to the petition.
“Under Gambo and Surajo’s shenanigans, they, JSC were given only a Land Cruiser, albeit refurbished. A Hilux was added after one year, and to date, the Mercedes Benz is still being awaited by the justices,” the petition further disclosed.
Despite the fact that the projects were included in the capital budget for the 2020 fiscal year, eight justices sworn in since November 2020 have yet to be properly accommodated and receive the Benz.
Mr Saleh, no stranger to allegations of fraud, was charged with diverting N2.2 billion in 2017, a charge that was later dropped by the Attorney General of the Federation, citing a plea bargain.
Mr Saleh was appointed secretary of the National Judicial Council, a body responsible for the appointment, promotion, and discipline of judicial officers, despite the fact that he was facing serious fraud charges.
The NJC’s spokesman declined to comment on the matter.
Although Mr Saleh then confessed the money belonged to him as it was a collection of cash gifted to him by friends, further investigations revealed the money was “bribes collected from various court contractors who ended up executing shoddy jobs or outright abandonment,” the petition stressed.
He was also charged with receiving N21 million in gratification from MBA Computes Ltd, N16 million from Dean Musa Nigeria Ltd, N10 million from Willysdave Limited, and N2.4 million from Welcon Nigeria Ltd, all Supreme Court contractors.
The petition also claimed that the court registrar, a government employee, was worth more than N10 billion. Mr Saleh did not respond to an inquiry about the allegations.
Furthermore, the EFCC’s spokesman did not immediately provide updates on the investigation.
