The senator representing Edo South Senatorial District, Neda Imasuen, has denied widespread online allegations claiming he was disbarred from practising law in the United States over a $150 million client fraud.
In a recent interview with Arise TV, monitored in Benin, the Edo Senator dismissed the claims as “completely false,” clarifying that his disbarment in New York was not connected to any criminal misconduct or theft, but stemmed from a civil issue rooted in alleged negligence.
Reports circulating online had alleged that Imasuen was disbarred by the New York State Supreme Court in 2010 following a petition by one Daphne Slyfield, an American who accused the senator of collecting legal fees and failing to represent him in court.
However, Imasuen explained that the matter was grossly misrepresented, attributing the incident to the unauthorized disposal of sensitive legal documents by his former landlord in Brooklyn during his vacation in Nigeria.
He said, “The landlord had permitted me to store the closed files in the subbasement of the office at 310 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn. But while on vacation in Nigeria, without notifying me, the landlord proceeded to discard the closed files on the sidewalk for disposal.”
He said the discarded documents included confidential materials, which prompted a complaint to a local television station and subsequently drew the attention of the Bar Association. “The New York Bar retrieved the files, and upon my return, I offered a full explanation. But by then, proceedings had begun,” he said.
Imasuen stated that although he had grounds to appeal the Bar’s disciplinary action, he chose not to pursue it, citing his decision to move on from legal practice in the US.
“It’s a civil issue of negligence, not a criminal case. If you read the ruling, it clearly states there was no stealing or misconduct—just mishandling of files left by my landlord. The process of reinstatement is already ongoing,” he said.
Speaking on the issue, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Senate, Yemi Adaramodu, said the chamber had not debated on Senator Imasuen’s disbarment because such a report was not before it. He added that, “Again, there has not been any local, national or international report against the senator before us,” Mr Adaramodu, also a senator, said.
He continued: “You can ask for my personal opinion on that. But the opinion of the Senate is that something that’s not before us, we cannot just go to plenary and start debating or talking about it.”
He suggested that the disbarment was immaterial given that Mr Imasuen is “a Nigerian senator, not an American senator.”
Dismissing rumours that he is barred from entering the United States, Senator Imasuen said he recently returned from a three-and-a-half-week visit to the country.
