Alleged N29m Fraud: Lawyer faces criminal charges, disciplinary proceedings by professional body

An Abuja based senior lawyer, Everestus Chinedu Ugwuowo has been charged at the Federal High Court, Abuja over alleged fraud totaling the sum of N29 million.

The case came up on the 28th day of October, 2024, the case of a lawyer Everestus Chinedu Ugwuowo who had been accused of fraud came up before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

In the trial at the Federal High Court, the lawyer and three others had allegedly defrauded a woman of the sum of N29 million after fabricating documents to sell a residential building in Abuja to her.

In a document which was sighted in Abuja on Friday, indicated that the same lawyer also faces disciplinary proceedings at the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee in petition with Petition Number BB/LPDC/520/2021.

The amended 11-count charge with Charge Number FHC/ABJ/CR/121/2018 was dated and filed on April 29, 2019 by ACP Simon Lough, SAN and is pending before Hon. Justice Obiora Egwuatu.

The Inspector General of Police, IGP had arraigned Ugwuowo, Umar Sanda Adamu, Usman Audu and Adole Christopher Oche, a staff of Bureau of Public Procurement as the 1st to 4th defendants respectively.

When the matter came up on the 28th day of October, 2024 both the prosecuting and defence counsels agreed to resume trial on January 14, 2025.

Meanwhile, on the 21st of October, 2024 Ugwuowo in a press statement made on behalf of the National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) in commemoration of the World Mental Health Day, had indicated that the Pyrates Confraternity is an organization that is interested in social justice.

He had issued the statement as a chieftain of the Pyrates Confraternity, the Capon of the Sahara Deck (Abuja Municipal) of the Confraternity.