In what looks like a counterattack, suspended Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a petition to disbar Sen. Nedamwem Imasuen, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
This move is in retaliation for his role in her suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) alleges that Imasuen was disbarred by the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, on May 10, 2010, for serious offenses including fraud, misappropriation of client funds, and failure to respond to disciplinary authorities.
The petition claims that Imasuen’s disbarment stemmed from a complaint filed by a client, Daphne Slyfield, who paid him substantial legal fees but was abandoned without representation.
Despite being served with petitions, Imasuen failed to respond, leading to the permanent revocation of his legal license in the US.
In support of her claim, she submitted a copy of the 2010 Justia New York Case Law, specifically “Matter of Imasuen”, to LPDC.
She also promised to “lead further evidence from official records of the respondent’s disbarment at the trial of this case.”
The suspended Senator told the LPDC that the disbarment followed a complaint that was lodged against Imasuen by one Daphne Slyfield, a client who paid substantial legal fees to him but was abandoned without legal recourse.
The petitioner stated: “The court found that the respondent had violated multiple professional rules, resulting in the permanent revocation of his legal licence in the US.
“That following the respondent’s disbarment, he relocated to Nigeria, continued to present himself as a legal practitioner and pursued a career in politics, eventually securing a seat in the National Assembly as the senator representing Edo South Senatorial District.
“Despite this disbarment, which was hinged on unethical conduct, the respondent failed to disclose this sanction, both in the legal profession and political space, as a senator, and was eventually made the chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, a position requiring unimpeachable integrity.
“That the Respondent did not remotely disclose his disbarment either in his Form EC9 – particulars of personal information submitted to INEC on oath at the time of aspiring for public office.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan stated that her petition was prompted by a series of events that cast doubt on Sen. Imasuen’s integrity and ethical standing.
She alleged that Imasuen deliberately disregarded a Federal High Court order issued on March 4, which explicitly instructed his committee to halt the disciplinary action against her, thereby undermining the judiciary’s authority.
Akpoti-Uduaghan asserted that despite being properly served with the interim order, Sen. Imasuen willfully disobeyed the court’s directive and proceeded to impose a six-month suspension on her.
Persecondnews had reported that Justice Obiora Egwuatu on March 4, issued an interim order, effectively halting the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions from pursuing disciplinary actions against Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Despite the court’s ruling, the Senate Committee defied the order and imposed a six-month suspension on the embattled Senator, which the Senate subsequently approved at plenary.
Details shortly…
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