Justice A.M. Lawal of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has convicted and fined a 55-year-old man, John Nwawuto Anoruo, for impersonating a legal practitioner and using a forged Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) seal.
Anoruo, who operated a legal and educational consultancy in Ikorodu, Lagos, was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after investigations revealed he falsely presented himself as a lawyer and used a counterfeit NBA seal in legal documents submitted to the Commission.
The case stemmed from a petition he filed with the EFCC on behalf of clients against Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited.
Investigators later discovered that the petition and a subsequent withdrawal letter carried a forged NBA seal belonging to another legal practitioner.
The defendant pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of impersonation and fraudulent use of a counterfeit NBA seal.
An EFCC investigating officer, Umar Faruk Ahmad, told the court that the fake lawyer admitted obtaining the forged NBA seal from a business centre in Lagos and confirmed he had never been called to the Nigerian Bar, despite claiming to have earned a law degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
The court heard that Anoruo earned about N7.5 million from the legal brief, paying N1.5 million to a qualified lawyer to handle the matter while presenting himself to clients and the EFCC as a licensed legal practitioner.
Investigators also recovered a lawyer’s robe and the forged NBA seal from his residence.
Justice Lawal convicted the defendant on both counts and imposed fines of N120,000 and N150,000 respectively, bringing the total penalty to N270,000 payable to the Lagos State Judiciary.
The court further ordered the forfeiture of the fake lawyer’s attire and the forged NBA seal to the Federal Government through the EFCC.
