While the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, is yet to wriggle out of the invitation extended to him by the Code of Conduct Bureau over alleged undeclared hidden Bank accounts, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly intercepted his wife with a $160,000 cash.
It was gathered that operatives of the EFCC acting on credible intelligence swooped on Mrs Tsoho as she was preparing to jet off to Benue State.
The development has further escalated the high-profile investigation into the Federal High Court Chief Judge’s asset declaration records.
According to report by SaharaReporters, eagle-eyed operatives of the anti-corruption agency acting on a “gold-standard” tip-off—swooped in on the high-profile wife of Justice Tsoho at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
It was further gathered that the discovery of the dollar haul, valued at a staggering quarter of a billion Naira on the streets, has instantly turned a quiet asset probe into a front-page criminal scandal.
Insiders at the anti-graft agency are describing the move as a “red flag” operation as they suspect that the massive volume of foreign currency was being moved to “layer” or hide funds while the Chief Judge remains under investigative microscope.
The airport drama marked the latest chapter in a deepening probe into Justice Tsoho’s private ledgers and his Asset Declaration filings just as investigators are believed to be hunting down a paper trail of properties and bank accounts that allegedly do not square with the Chief Judge’s official income.
It was gathered that by targeting the inner circle of one of the nation’s powerful legal titans, the EFCC is sending a lightning bolt of a message pointing to the direction that ‘no one, regardless of the weight of their judicial robes’, is out of reach.
Further checks indicated that the timing of this “cash-in-the-bag” scandal is a nightmare for the image of the Nigerian Bench as Justice Tsoho sits at the pinnacle of the Federal High Court—the very arena where the nation’s biggest corruption and political battles are fought.
Unfortunately, evolving development is now showing that Justice Tsoho’s household is now the lead defendant in the court of public opinion.
An Abuja based lawyer who does not want his name in print for obvious reasons said; “This is a tipping point. When the wife of the man who oversees our most sensitive courts is caught with six figures in USD at an airport, the entire temple of justice begins to shake”.
While the intercepted wife of Justice Tsoho remains in the hot seat at EFCC headquarters where she is reportedly being grilled on the origin and final destination of the “Benue-bound” dollars, the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the office of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court are yet to speak on the development.
It was gathered that the EFCC is working on how to scale some legal hurdles and technicalities to enable its operatives embark on a search of Justice Tsoho’s private residences in the nation’s capital.
…Sourced from SaharaReporters
