U.S Court:Ugwuonye Must Return Stolen $1.55
million Embassy Funds
(PSN)-After a fierce legal battle between the Embassy of Nigeria, controversial Maryland lawyer, Emeka Ugwuonye, loses the battle to keep the sum of $1.55 million belonging to the embassy of Nigeria. The embattled lawyer this week suffered another defeat in his quest to hold on to the unjust enrichment as a U.S District Court ruled that he must return the sum of $1.55 million meant for his clients, the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, DC.
PSN gathered that the funds came from tax refunds credited to the Nigerian embassy from real estate transaction, in which Mr. Ugwuonye had handled the transactions on behalf of the embassy. According to reports the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington sold some of its properties between 2005and 2007, Ugwuonye acting as the embassy’s attorney, kept a cheque of $1.55m issued by the U.S Government to the embassy as returned taxes initially paid for the transactions. Judge Barbara Rothstein entered a default against
Ugwuonye personally and awarded attorney fees to the embassy, in an earlier court proceeding in March, the judge entered a default against Ugwuonye’s law firm ‘ECU Law Group’. The court granted the Embassy of Nigeria’s motion for sanctions against Ugwuonye based on his failures to obey court orders, produce documents and appear for his deposition.
Judge Rothstein also dismissed counterclaims by Mr. Ugwuonye to the effect that his conversion of the embassy’s tax refund was justified because he was allegedly owed unpaid legal fees by the Nigerian government for unrelated legal representation in other cases.
Judge Rothstein ruled that Mr. Ugwuonye failed to prove that he was being owed outstanding legal fees, citing his failure to provide credible proof.
Emeka Ugwuonye known for his penchant for stirring up controversies engaged the ambassador of Nigeria to the U.S, Prof. Ade Adefuye, accusing him of corruption and anti-Igbo. He then began the mad scramble for media space and airtime to descend most heavily on the respected diplomat using questionable online organizations, and groups.
With no credible evidence against the Ambassador, and with the diplomat receiving a clean bill of health from the EFCC, reports indicate that, Ugwuonye, supported an unregistered group who in a three man protest planted the Biafran Flag in front of the Embassy of Nigeria last year.
It is clear from the Court proceedings that the propagandist lawyer was merely dancing on the corridor of guilt.
The Court has asked the Embassy of Nigeria to file a motion for ‘default Judgment’ in a bid to prove the amount of damages and attorney’s fees that the Court should award the embassy of Nigeria.
(PSN)-After a fierce legal battle between the Embassy of Nigeria, controversial Maryland lawyer, Emeka Ugwuonye, loses the battle to keep the sum of $1.55 million belonging to the embassy of Nigeria. The embattled lawyer this week suffered another defeat in his quest to hold on to the unjust enrichment as a U.S District Court ruled that he must return the sum of $1.55 million meant for his clients, the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, DC.
PSN gathered that the funds came from tax refunds credited to the Nigerian embassy from real estate transaction, in which Mr. Ugwuonye had handled the transactions on behalf of the embassy. According to reports the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington sold some of its properties between 2005and 2007, Ugwuonye acting as the embassy’s attorney, kept a cheque of $1.55m issued by the U.S Government to the embassy as returned taxes initially paid for the transactions. Judge Barbara Rothstein entered a default against
Ugwuonye personally and awarded attorney fees to the embassy, in an earlier court proceeding in March, the judge entered a default against Ugwuonye’s law firm ‘ECU Law Group’. The court granted the Embassy of Nigeria’s motion for sanctions against Ugwuonye based on his failures to obey court orders, produce documents and appear for his deposition.
Judge Rothstein also dismissed counterclaims by Mr. Ugwuonye to the effect that his conversion of the embassy’s tax refund was justified because he was allegedly owed unpaid legal fees by the Nigerian government for unrelated legal representation in other cases.
Judge Rothstein ruled that Mr. Ugwuonye failed to prove that he was being owed outstanding legal fees, citing his failure to provide credible proof.
Emeka Ugwuonye known for his penchant for stirring up controversies engaged the ambassador of Nigeria to the U.S, Prof. Ade Adefuye, accusing him of corruption and anti-Igbo. He then began the mad scramble for media space and airtime to descend most heavily on the respected diplomat using questionable online organizations, and groups.
With no credible evidence against the Ambassador, and with the diplomat receiving a clean bill of health from the EFCC, reports indicate that, Ugwuonye, supported an unregistered group who in a three man protest planted the Biafran Flag in front of the Embassy of Nigeria last year.
It is clear from the Court proceedings that the propagandist lawyer was merely dancing on the corridor of guilt.
The Court has asked the Embassy of Nigeria to file a motion for ‘default Judgment’ in a bid to prove the amount of damages and attorney’s fees that the Court should award the embassy of Nigeria.
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