The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA on Monday threatened to take legal action against the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, over his allegations that lawyers facilitate corruption and aid illicit financial flows to offshore accounts.
In a speech at the 6th Annual Criminal Law Review Conference in Abuja, the EFCC Chairman claimed that no major financial fraud could occur without lawyers’ involvement.
He said the troubling discovery by the EFCC, means that lawyers prioritize personal gain over national interest, particularly in cases like the P&ID scam and the Mambilla Power Project.
He also criticized the “obscene legal fees” senior lawyers receive from political figures, calling for action against this practice.
In response, the NBA, represented by its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, condemned Olukoyede for casting the legal profession in a negative 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.
“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.
“If for example, he has evidence of many lawyers who have aided money laundering and who are standing trial or who may have been convicted or who had pleaded guilty, then, one could say that he has evidence.
“It is unfortunate that such a statement was made and I am sure that with the benefit of hindsight, he would not have made the statement.
“In the absence of evidence, such a statement should never be made. We are proud members of the legal profession and we must draw the line in performing our professional duties and aiding the commission of crime. We do not do that.
“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 soil 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 NBA President added.
