The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced investigations into two lawyers accused of demanding payment in foreign currencies from their clients, warning legal practitioners against violating Nigeria’s currency laws.

The anti-graft agency said it would prosecute any lawyer found guilty of charging professional fees in dollars or other foreign currencies, describing the practice as both illegal and unethical.

The warning was issued by the Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Bawa Kaltungo, during a meeting with a delegation from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Kaltungo disclosed that the directorate was already handling two cases involving lawyers who allegedly demanded their fees in dollars.

According to him, the naira remains Nigeria’s legal tender, making the practice of charging clients in foreign currencies unacceptable.

He said the EFCC had generally sought to maintain a cordial relationship with members of the legal profession but would take action whenever lawyers crossed the line into practices considered unlawful.

“We usually don’t want to have issues with members of the NBA. However, some lawyers are pushing us. Any lawyer we find culpable of charging clients in foreign currencies will be prosecuted,” he said.

The EFCC official also warned lawyers against using the name of the commission to justify excessive professional charges.

He acknowledged that legal practitioners had the right to determine their fees but stressed that they should not falsely tell clients that charges imposed on them were demanded or approved by the EFCC.

“Lawyers should stop name-dropping the EFCC to overcharge their clients,” Kaltungo said, urging practitioners to keep the commission out of fee negotiations with their clients.

Advertisement

The development comes amid the EFCC’s broader campaign against the use of foreign currencies in domestic transactions, particularly in sectors such as real estate and oil and gas.

The commission has repeatedly warned businesses and individuals against what it describes as the “dollarisation” of the Nigerian economy.

Earlier, the leader of the NBA Lagos Task Force on Illegal Practice of Law, Moshood Abiola, praised the EFCC for its recent prosecution and conviction of an individual who had been operating as a fake lawyer.

Abiola described the prosecution as swift and reassuring, saying it demonstrated the importance of stronger cooperation between the EFCC and the NBA.

He disclosed that the NBA task force was handling several complaints involving alleged professional misconduct and malpractice by legal practitioners.

According to him, closer collaboration with the EFCC would help ensure that lawyers involved in criminal conduct are properly investigated and prosecuted.

“We appreciate the EFCC for the recent prosecution of a fake lawyer. It was swift, and we are glad that the EFCC was able to get the court to convict him,” Abiola said.

He added that the NBA had other cases involving lawyers accused of malpractice and was seeking greater cooperation with the anti-graft agency to ensure that those found culpable faced the law.

The EFCC’s latest position places legal practitioners among professionals being warned against transactions and practices that could undermine the naira and violate existing financial regulations.