FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CROSS RIVER DISBARRED FOR FINANCIAL MISCONDUCT
Joesph Abang, a former attorney General of Cross River State has been disbarred and would no longer be accorded the status of a legal practitioner.
The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee(LPDC), ordered the removal of Joseph Abang from the roll of legal practitioners in the country for engaging in what has been termed an “infamous conduct”.
Eons Intelligence gathered that Mr Abang lost his license following a complaint lodged against him by the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA in June 2020.
The NBA noted that Unity Bank Plc had engaged the legal service of Abang to recover a debt that was owed by Bilwadams Construction Company Nigeria Limited- a customer of the bank.
Report indicates that Mr Abang, diverted the sum of N6, 666, 666.66million he recovered from the Construction company on October 29, 2010, into his own personal account and never remitted same to the bank. Despite express instructions to do so.
The NBA also alleged that in 2012, Mr Abang received another N66, 666, 666. 71m but never remitted same to the bank as of August 2013.
After intense pressure from the bank, Mr Abang remitted N45m in September 2013 with a promise to pay the outstanding sum of N23, 249, 620. 80.
“The Respondent, without the Petitioner’s express or implied instructions and despite the subsisting judgment with the Petitioner’s customer to pay the sum of N110,000,00000 (One Hundred and Ten Million Naira) only, in full and final settlement of the outstanding indebtedness which as at July 2013 was in the sum of N392, 202, 379. 82 {Three Hundred and Ninety-Two Million, two Hundred and Two Thousand, Three Hundred and Seventy Six Naira, Eighty Two Kobo) only, and that till date the Respondent is yet to remit to the Petitioner the outstanding sum of N28, 333, 333.00 (Twenty Eight Million, Three Hundred and Thirty-Three Thousand, Three Hundred and Thirty-Three Naira) only,” the petition read.
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Following the details of the case, the NBA Disciplinary Panel found that Mr Abang’s conduct constituted an infraction of the acceptable standard of behaviour or ethics of the Legal Profession.
Although Mr Abang pleaded not liable to a five-count charge held against him, the Committee led by Chief Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, found his conduct constituted an infraction of the acceptable standard of behaviour or ethics of the Legal Profession.
Other members of the Committee were Justice Hussein Mukhtar of the Court of Appeal, the Chief Judge of Bauchi State, Justice Rabi Umar and two lawyers- Ebenezer Obeya and Boma Ayomide Alabi.
“We are satisfied that the appropriate order to make in the circumstance is to direct the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court to strike out ABANG JOSEPH OSHIE from the Roll of Legal Practitioners in accordance with Rule 22(a) of the LPDC Rules 2020 and we so order. “The Chief Regstrar of the Supreme Court is hereby directed to effect the above Order and to make a notation of this direction against the name of the Respondent, JOE ABANG, that is, ABANG JOSEPH OSHIE on the Roll of Legal Practitioners. “This Order shall forthwith be brought to the attention of the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court”, the Committee held.
It further directed that the other should be brought to the notice of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, heads of different courts in the country, as well as the Attorney-General of the Federation and Attorneys-General of all the 36 states of the federation.
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