Politics
Lawyer lands in trouble, to pay N2m fine over Rep member Jibrin
A lawyer, Mr. Tolu Babaleye, on Thursday landed in trouble and was asked by the Supreme Court to pay N2 million for a frivolous appeal he was said to have filed to delay the hearing of a suit filed by a former chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin.
Jibrin is challenging before the Federal High his suspension for 180 legislative days since September 28, 2016 by the House of Representatives.
However, Babaleye had filed an appeal at the apex court on behalf of two members of the House of Representatives – Nicholas Ossai and Orker-Jev Yisa – asking to be allowed to be joined as defendants to Jibrin’s case which is still pending before the Federal High Court.
Ossai was the chairman of House Committee on Ethics, which recommended Jibrin’s suspension while Yisa was the House member who moved the motion for the suspension of Jibrin.
On April 13, 2017, Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, where Jibrin’s substantive suit is still pending, had dismissed the lawmakers’ joinder application, describing them as “strangers” with no interest to protect in the proceedings.
And during the day’s proceedings, a five-man panel of the apex court headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, a unanimous bench judgment viewed the appeal filed by Babaleye as being frivolous and meant to delay the hearing of a suit filed by Jibrin.
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Justice Ejembi Eko, who delivered the lead judgment of the court, described the appeal as “vexatious and frivolous” and ordered Babaleye to pay each of the four respondents to the appeal, including Jibrin, the sum of N500,000.
Aside Jibrin, other respondents in the matter who are to be paid N500, 000 each were the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara; the House of Representatives and the Clerk of the House of Representatives.
The court ordered that the fine totaling N2 million must be personally paid by the lawyer.
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