Nigerian Bar Association, has threatened to drag Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, to court over corruption allegation made against its members.
INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that EFCC boss, in a recent speech at the opening of the 6th Annual Criminal Law Review Conference in Abuja, insisted that no mega financial fraud could be perfected without the effort of lawyers.
He added that the discovery by the anti-graft agency, means that legal practitioners prioritize personal gain over national interest.
Reacting to the allegation, NBA’s President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, on Monday, berated Olukoyede for portraying members of the legal profession in a bad light.
Osigwe argued that the EFCC Chairman lacked sufficient evidence to back his claims.
He said: “We challenge the EFCC Chairman to come up with empirical evidence and if he can not, he should never make such a statement again.
READ MORE: EFCC Sacks Two Officials Over Alleged Corruption, Says More To Go
“Unfortunately, he is one of us. He is a lawyer. We had earlier drawn his attention to the fact that many men and women who make the investigation and prosecution of cases by the EFCC worthwhile are lawyers.
“Is he then suggesting that his lawyers are aiding money laundering and financing of terrorism?
“It is common in Nigeria for people to make hasty generalizations, yet, very few lawyers, to my knowledge, have been prosecuted by the EFCC for aiding money laundering.
“There may be a few bad eggs but that does not represent the picture or the majority of lawyers who toil to build up a reputation of integrity and professionalism.
“The EFCC Chairman should not for whatever reason spoil that image by portraying all of us as aiders of money laundering.
“If that happens again, we will take legal action to protect the image of the legal profession.”
The post NBA Knocks EFCC Chair For Accusing Lawyers Of Corruption, Threatens Legal Action appeared first on Information Nigeria.
Last modified: November 26, 2024
