Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has disclosed how he was offered one million pounds (N405 million) to launder money for a former governor.
Mr. Falana explained that the governor decided to choose the lawyer because, according to him; “nobody will suspect you”.
He revealed this in the current edition of ALERT, a monthly pull-out by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“The governor asked me to assist him in transferring money abroad, and that I should claim it to be proceeds from sale of his property in Nigeria. And the price was extremely attractive,” he said.
“He was going to pay me a million pounds then, when money was money. The governor said he had chosen me for the shady deal, because ‘nobody will suspect you.’ And I told him, ‘Your Excellency, so it is my reputation that you want to buy with your one million pounds?’
“Some of my colleagues thought I was stupid, but those who accepted the offer later found themselves in trouble, as they were arrested and humiliated. They were only lucky not to have been charged to court.
“Lawyers have a paramount role to play in the fight against economic and financial crimes, as they are the ones usually employed by well-heeled members of the society to help perfect documents for illicit transactions, and to cover up their tracks.”
