Etiaba Denies Accusing Damian Dodo, Tribunal Judges of Corruption, Apologises

Emmanuel  Addeh in  Abuja

A senior lawyer, Echezona Etiaba (SAN), has expressed regrets over the misinformation arising from a session at the Imo State Assembly and National Assembly tribunal sitting in Lagos, wherein he allegedly accused Mr. Damian Dodo (SAN) and the judges of corruption.

In a statement, the lawyer explained that at no time during the sitting did he insinuate that Dodo bribed the judges, noting that the situation never arose since the senior lawyer (Dodo) wasn’t even a counsel in the case.

A report by a national newspaper had indicated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) counsel, Etiaba presented two petitions allegedly written by his clients accusing the three-member panel of being compromised.

It also accused Dodo, whom the report alleged to be counsel for one of the appellants of being the conduit to reach the panel headed by Justice Danjuma Mohammed, the presiding judge of Makurdi Division of the Court of Appeal.

But Etiaba, who described Dodo as a man of unblemished legal record, stated that he did not mention the content of the said letter, let alone accuse anybody of bribery.

“My attention has been drawn to a news item titled: ‘Chaos at the Court of Appeal, Lagos’.  The only thing correct about the trending news is that I drew the court’s attention to a letter written by our client, (a political party) but the insinuation that the respected Damian Dodo SAN (a legal luminary whose pedigree is unblemished) compromised the Justices of the Court of Appeal on the appeals is an allegation that I don’t believe.

“As much as the letters were handed to me while I was announcing the appearance of my team and I had no time to read same, upon being seized of the facts, I knew that the allegations do not hold water.

“I state categorically that Damian Dodo (SAN) is not representing any of the parties in the appeals before the Honourable Court as regards Hon. Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu and the justices had just been assigned the cases that morning, thereby making any theory of compromise impossible.

“The embarrassment caused My Lords and my big brother, Damian Dodo (SAN) by this ugly incident is regretted,” Etiaba stated.