Court convicts senior Nigerian lawyer for corruption

A Lagos High Court, Ikeja, presided over by Justice Raliat Adebiyi, has convicted a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Joseph Nwobike for corruption.

He was convicted on Monday on offenses bordering on perversion of the course of justice.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had leveled 12-count charges against the senior lawyer.

Justice Adebiyi held in her pronounment that the EFCC proved beyond reasonable doubts that the senior lawyer was in the habit of communicating with court officials in order to influence the assignment of his cases to his preferred judges.

According to Rotimi Jacob, the prosecutor, the lawyer may be facing a prison term of two years for the offense.

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But the defence counsel, Wale Akoni, SAN, pleaded with Justice Adebiyi to temper justice with mercy, since the sentence was at the judge’s discretion.

The judge consequently sentenced Nwobike to one month imprisonment on each of the 12 counts but said the sentences would run concurrently.

 

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