It Is Erroneous To Say That The Legal Profession Shields Lawyers From Prosecution On Corruption Allegations — Paul Ogbole (SAN)

*Says Legal Profession Is The Most Regulated Profession In Nigeria

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Paul Harris Ogbole, has said that the legal profession is the most regulated profession in Nigeria, Ogbole, who is a Co-Chair of the Anti-Corruption Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said this while speaking at the 24th Anti-Corruption Situation Room (ACSR) organized by HEDA Resource Centre.

The symposium, titled “THE ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS’ ETHICS, CODES OF CONDUCT AND SANCTIONS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA”, was held at the Zuma Hall of Rockview Hotel (Royale) and featured presentations from various anti-corruption agencies, professional bodies, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and resource persons.

The principal partner at Paul Harris Ogbole, and a former Board Member of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) represented the NBA at the event. While speaking on the role of legal practitioners in the fight against corruption, the Learned Silk stated that the legal profession has copious inbuilt mechanisms for checking corrupt tendencies amongst members of the profession both at the Bar and at the Bench.

He said the regulatory mechanisms come alive on the threshold of a person’s admission into the profession and remain alive throughout a legal practitioner’s life until his death.

At the point of entry into the profession, an aspirant to the Bar is expected to be fit and proper, not just in learning, but most importantly in character.

According to the Learned Silk, a lawyer in practice is bound by the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC), while a lawyer on the bench is bound by the National Judicial Council (NJC) Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers.

While giving instances of cases where the legal profession has wielded the big stick against errant lawyers, he said the profession is very dedicated to the fight against corruption. He described as erroneous the impression that the profession shields lawyers from prosecution for allegations of corruption.

Citing the case of NGANJIWA v FRN (2017), he said the Courts do not confer immunity on judicial officers from prosecution for alleged corruption offences, but merely insist that the due process for the discipline of judicial officers, as provided for in the Constitution, must always be followed by allowing the NJC to first discipline an errant lawyer before the law enforcement agencies and the regular courts can assume jurisdiction.

The concurrence of the disciplinary jurisdiction of the NJC and that of the regular courts, he said, imposes an even higher degree of punishment mechanisms on legal practitioners than members of any other profession in Nigeria.