Magoh Clara
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has warned lawyers against charging their clients in foreign currencies, stressing that the practice is illegal and unethical.
The warning was issued by the Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Ikoyi, Bawa Usman Kaltungo, during a meeting with members of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Lagos Task Force on Illegal Practice of Law.
Kaltungo said the commission was already handling cases involving lawyers who allegedly charged clients in dollars.
He stressed that the naira remains Nigeria’s legal tender and warned that lawyers found guilty of demanding fees in foreign currencies could face prosecution.
The EFCC official also cautioned legal practitioners against using the commission’s name to impose excessive charges on clients.
While acknowledging that lawyers have the right to determine their professional fees, he said practitioners should not falsely associate the EFCC with charges imposed on their clients.
The NBA delegation, led by its Head, Moshood Abiola, also called for stronger cooperation with the EFCC in tackling cases of professional misconduct and illegal legal practice.
