Follow @twitter
Connect with me on Linkedin
Like this blog Facebook page
BB-Channel: C002F2B28
Follow @instagram
The Chairman, the Presidential Advisory
Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay
(SAN), has given an insight into practices that
could turn a lawyer into an accused person and
land him in jail.
Sagay spoke on Tuesday during a one-day
workshop on ‘Anti-corruption, ethics of the legal
profession and justice sector’.
The event was co-organised by the Nigerian Bar
Association and the PCAC.
In his contribution, Sagay described lawyers as
“social engineers” whose failure to live up to the
expectation of their callings could lead to
anarchy, chaos and poverty.
He urged lawyers to be aware of the extent they
could legitimately go in defending their clients in
order not to end up as a co-accused.
He particularly called on defence lawyers to
resist the urge to commit crimes in the process
of defending their clients, warning that they
could easily end up being prosecuted.
He said, “Defence counsel, my dear colleagues,
should avoid ending up as a partner in the crime
by sharing guilt and proceeds of that crime.
“A lawyer’s role should not degenerate from that
of a legitimate defence counsel to becoming an
accomplice after the fact.
“A lawyer who is over-enthusiastic in the
defence of his client and crossing the line from
being a lawyer to becoming a co-defendant will
be prosecuted as such.
“We should avoid any urge of committing fraud,
money laundering, perjury and so on in the
process of trying to defend our clients.
“We should never forget our status as ministers
in the temple of justice. That status prevails over
any other duty, even over the duty we owe to
our clients.
“I therefore appeal once again that our
colleagues should never ever cross over from the
Bar because if they do that they may end up in
the dock.”
Sagay said lawyers’ obligation to accept briefs
from their clients did not include helping a client
who was guilty of a crime to escape justice.
Source: today.Ng
Connect with me on Linkedin
Like this blog Facebook page
BB-Channel: C002F2B28
Follow @instagram
The Chairman, the Presidential Advisory
Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay
(SAN), has given an insight into practices that
could turn a lawyer into an accused person and
land him in jail.
Sagay spoke on Tuesday during a one-day
workshop on ‘Anti-corruption, ethics of the legal
profession and justice sector’.
The event was co-organised by the Nigerian Bar
Association and the PCAC.
In his contribution, Sagay described lawyers as
“social engineers” whose failure to live up to the
expectation of their callings could lead to
anarchy, chaos and poverty.
He urged lawyers to be aware of the extent they
could legitimately go in defending their clients in
order not to end up as a co-accused.
He particularly called on defence lawyers to
resist the urge to commit crimes in the process
of defending their clients, warning that they
could easily end up being prosecuted.
He said, “Defence counsel, my dear colleagues,
should avoid ending up as a partner in the crime
by sharing guilt and proceeds of that crime.
“A lawyer’s role should not degenerate from that
of a legitimate defence counsel to becoming an
accomplice after the fact.
“A lawyer who is over-enthusiastic in the
defence of his client and crossing the line from
being a lawyer to becoming a co-defendant will
be prosecuted as such.
“We should avoid any urge of committing fraud,
money laundering, perjury and so on in the
process of trying to defend our clients.
“We should never forget our status as ministers
in the temple of justice. That status prevails over
any other duty, even over the duty we owe to
our clients.
“I therefore appeal once again that our
colleagues should never ever cross over from the
Bar because if they do that they may end up in
the dock.”
Sagay said lawyers’ obligation to accept briefs
from their clients did not include helping a client
who was guilty of a crime to escape justice.
Source: today.Ng
Comments