SAN FRANCISCO, August 15, (THEWILL) – Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested a fake lawyer, Thankgod Okachi Echem in Port Harcourt, Rivers
State, for defrauding his “client” of N7m.
The suspect, who confessed to operatives that his highest educational qualification is a School Certificate holder, was arrested based on a petition to the agency by one of his “clients”: Mr. Jonny Wali who alleged that the fake lawyer defrauded him of the sum of N7m, being part of the money awarded him by a Rivers State High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, as compensation in a legal battle involving him and the former Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) now Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company.
The EFCC in a statement said Wali reportedly sued the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company in a matter bordering on land trespass in suit number PHC/468/09 before Justice W.A.Chey Chey of the Rivers State High Court and was awarded the sum of N10m as compensation. However, the company failed to pay the compensation to him. In seeking redress for the payment of the money, he reportedly employed the legal services of Thankgod Okachi Echem and Felix Agbarake (Thank God/ Felix & Co. Norugema Chambers).
In 2015, the court ruled in his favour and granted another sum of N8m as the accumulated interest on the initial N10m granted as compensation by the court. A sum of N18m was consequently paid by the Electricity company to him through Echem’s chambers.
Trouble crept into the whole matter when Echem (who was later found to be a fake lawyer) connived with his colleague: Felix Agbarake and opened an account with the First City Monument Bank, FCMB, in the name of Wali without his consent. A sum of N7m was subsequently paid into the account and cashed accordingly.
When Echem was confronted with these facts, he owned up and confessed that he was just a School Certificate holder posturing as a lawyer. A house search conducted on his premises yielded some incriminating documents including a wig and robe belonging to Thank God Okachi Echem.
Echem and his professional colleague: Agbarake will be charged to court
soon.
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