Former governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam has has denied a report by an online news portal accusing him of bribing the presiding judge in the corruption case brought against him the EFCC.
The angered Suswam in a statement he personally signed said the report was a deliberate attempt to blackmail him as well subvert the course of justice in his on-going trial at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
The statement read in parts: “In a report on its website which was widely shared to other online websites, blogs and List Serves, Sahara Reporters wrote of a phantom attempt by me to bribe the presiding Judge of the Federal High Court before whom I have been standing trial in order to get a “a soft landing”.
“The online medium even alleged that I had not only met with the trial Judge, but had indirectly bribed him by ” picking the medical bills of a relative” last year to secure “lenient bail conditions”. According to the report, I further promised to bribe the Judge with various sums in local and foreign currencies to get “soft landing”.
“The report also alleged that a certain staff of the Federal High Court was the link between me and the Honourable Justice. Furthermore, Sahara Reporters claimed to be in possession of text messages exchanged between me and the Judge in which there were discussions about how the Judge would be bribed to give me ‘soft landing’ in the trial and that the judge gave out what the Defense Counsel should tell the Prosecution lawyers to enable him deliver a ‘favorable ruling to me.’
“Typical of the historically reckless tradition of Sahara Reporters, this report is not only highly mischievous but further re-confirms the long-held opinion that Sahara Reporters is a willing tool in the hands of desperate politicians with intents to ridicule their real or perceived foes.
“So for anybody to insinuate or directly allege that I am engaged in any form of negotiation with the judge to secure the so called ” soft landing” is grossly untrue as such a situation does not exist and will never exist.”
