Court Strikes Out N10m Fraud Suit Against Lawyer, Francis Azuh

A chief magistrate’s court, Igbosere, Lagos, has struck out a N10 million fraud suit brought by the Police against a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Francis Azuh. Chief Magistrate Adetokunboh Omoyele discharged the lawyer based on a response to the court for verification of DPP’s advice The Police had arraigned Mr. Azuh on a two-count charge of fraudulently obtaining and stealing N10 million meant for processing and securing a title document at Lagos State Ministry of Land. Trouble began when Azuh got a brief to pursue the excision of community land belonging to the Salia family of Shapati village in Ibeju-Lekki council from the complainant. Azuh was to be remunerated with 10 percent of the said plots of land, which is 22 plots from a total of 220 plots. He spent N6.5 million and refunded N3.5 million to the complainant after the job was concluded. However, the complainant, in an attempt not to remunerate the lawyer with 22 plots of land valued at N400 million laid a bogus complaint with the Police, alleging that the lawyer had stolen N10 million from him. However, on April 4, 2017 a legal advice was issued and dispatched to the court. After the issuance of the DPP’s advice, the charge came up on June 8, June 22 and July 6, 2017, wherein the court refused to give effect to the DPP’s advice and pandered to the view of the complainant by adjourning to await the outcome of a counter- petition from the complainant to the Attorney General of Lagos State. It was a petition by Bolanle Olugbani to the Chief Judge of Lagos State that paved way for Omoyele to give effect to the legal advice.]]>