Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has warned legal practitioners against charging client fees in foreign currencies, disclosing that two cases involving lawyers accused of dollar-denominated billing are already under investigation.
Speaking during a meeting with the Lagos Task Force on Illegal Practice of Law of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the EFCC’s Acting Zonal Director in Lagos, Bawa Kaltungo, stated that billing clients in US dollars violates national currency regulations.
“This is unethical and illegal, as the naira is the country’s legal tender,” Mr Kaltungo said, warning that culpable lawyers face formal prosecution under Nigerian law.
The anti-graft agency also cautioned legal practitioners against falsely using the commission’s name to inflate legal fees or justify excessive billing. While acknowledging that lawyers have the discretion to determine their professional charges within regulatory guidelines, officials stressed that invoking the EFCC to overcharge clients remains unlawful.
For its part, the NBA delegation, led by task force head Moshood Abiola, sought deeper operational collaboration with the anti-graft agency to investigate and prosecute fake lawyers and legal practitioners implicated in criminal misconduct.
EFCC prosecutors further urged the NBA to publicly name disciplined lawyers to protect the public, while raising concerns over some practitioners allegedly forging medical reports and using fundamental rights enforcement suits to obstruct active corruption investigations.
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