Usoro, SAN must be Charged for Bribing a Judge – Prof. Odinkalu
Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, is a lawyer and advocate from Nigeria. He is the senior team manager for the Africa Program of the Open Society Justice Initiative based in the Abuja. He is also the President-General of the Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA).
Odinkalu who criticized the ambition of Paul Usoro, SAN said, “He should be facing disciplinary proceedings and should have been disbarred for involving in bribery.” “He said people parading him to lead our Bar must know that the Bar belongs to all lawyers”
Read Prof. Odinkalu’s statement below:
Good morning, colleagues.
The levels of impunity in Nigeria are staggering. The motto of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, commits it to promoting the rule of law. We cannot do that without integrity.
Whoever dreamt up this Paul Usoro project to lead the Bar is terribly misguided. The person wishes perdition on the Bar. It is worse than a bad dream and it has to be stopped.
Here are the facts: Paul Usoro is supposed to be a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
Paul Usoro is charged with having bribed James Agbadu-Fishim, (I refuse to call him “Honorable Justice”), a judge of the National Industrial Court, with N800,000 paid in 3 instalments of N300k; N400k, & N100k. Paul Usoro himself admits to having given the judge at least N450k, claiming it was contribution towards his vacation. The judge is presently on trial for these acts. The payments he received from Paul Usoro are in evidence in the trial.
In a sane country, Paul Usoro should be facing disciplinary proceedings at best & should have been disbarred. In Nigeria. Someone is parading him to lead our Bar. That Bar belongs to us all. No one has a right to even think about this.
This idea that a lawyer who admits to having bribed a judge is even considering himself for the office of President of the Bar while the judge that he bribed is being prosecuted & the payments he made to the judge are exhibits in the case is worse than a terrible joke. It is an insult to us all. We all have a duty to stop it.
This Paul Usoro project for Presidency of the Bar has to end, fortwith. By all means let all lawyers of decent standing aspire for the Bar Presidency. I want to go on record: Paul Usoro has no standing in morality &, I would venture, in law to even consider aspiring to the Presidency of the Bar now or ever. He should bury his head in ignominy. The only right he has is to go before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee to clear his name or be disbarred. Period!
Let me be clear: My name is Chidi Anselm Odinkalu. I am a Nigerian lawyer who also belongs to this Bar that will be ruined by this aspiration birthed in arrogant impunity.
It will not work. No lawyer with the charges against his name that Paul Usoro has should be allowed to insult us in the way this Paul Usoro project seeks to do.
It is awfully aggravating.
Chidi Anselm Odinkalu
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