Senate Ethics chairman who suspended Natasha, previously barred from practising law in US

Neda Imasuen, a Nigerian-trained lawyer and senator representing Edo South Senatorial District, was barred from practicing law in the United States in 2010, PREMIUM TIMES has reported.

Despite this legal setback, Imasuen, an indigene of Edo State, successfully transitioned into politics and was elected to the Nigerian Senate in 2023 under the Labour Party (LP), one of the country’s major opposition parties.

His party, LP, competes against the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria’s ruling political party.

Mr Imasuen graduated from the University of Maiduguri with a bachelor’s degree in law. In 1985, he was to the Nigerian bar, certified and enrolled as a solicitor and advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

According to information published on his official website, the lawyer’s professional journey began in New York, in the US, where he practised law and served as a public advocate for several years.

A document obtained by PREMIUM TIMES showed that while Mr Imasuen was in the US, an American, Daphne Slyfield, hired the Nigerian to represent him in a legal matter, which the lawyer allegedly neglected to do.

According to the document, Mr Slyfield petitioned the Supreme Court of New York, alleging that Mr Imasuen neglected a legal matter entrusted to him after being paid for the services.

The Grievance Committee for the Second, Eleventh, and Thirteenth Judicial Districts of the Court handled the matter.

The petitioner accused Mr Imasuen of “professional misconduct.” George Friedman was referred to hear and report on the issues raised as a special referee.

After being served with the petition in July 2009, Mr Imasuen was asked to file a response within 20 days.

The committee had informed him that failure to file his response would compel it to deem the charges against him, as outlined in the petition, established.

The document said Mr Imasuen failed to respond to the petition within the permitted time or apply for an extension of time.

“He is, therefore, in default, and the charges against him must be deemed admitted,” the court said in the document.

Barred from law practice in the US

Mr Imasuen was admitted to the US bar on 16 September 1992 in the term of the Appellate Division of the court in the Second Judicial Department.

He was disbarred almost 18 years later.

“…The respondent, Neda B. Imasuen, admitted as Neda Bernards Imasuen, is commanded to desist and refrain from practising law in any form, either as principal or agent, clerk, or employee of another, appearing as an attorney or counsellor-at-law before any court, Judge, Justice, board, commission, or other public authority, giving to another an opinion as to the law or its application or any advice in relation thereto, and holding himself out in any way as an attorney and counsellor-at-law,” the Grievance Committee ordered.

The committee stated in the order, dated 11 May 2010, that Mr Imasuen violated the New York bar code and rules.

Permanently barred?

According to our findings, an attorney who was suspended or disbarred, or whose name was stricken from the Roll of Attorneys and Counsellors-at-Law upon conviction of a felony, may apply to be reinstated to practise under the provisions of Section 691.11 of the rules of the court (the Supreme Court of the state of News York) and Section 1240.16 of the Rules for Attorney Disciplinary Matters.

This newspaper further learned that such an application for reinstatement after disbarment or removal may not be made until the expiration of seven years from the entry of the order of disbarment.

It is unclear if Mr Imasuen applied for reinstatement after his disbarment. If he did not, his disbarment remains active.

Mr Imasuen did not respond to calls or a text message seeking his comments.

ABUJAPRESS gathered that Mr Imasuen returned to Nigeria the same year after his disbarment.

He would later work as a consultant for the European Union’s State Reforming Institutional Programme, serving as the Jigawa State coordinator.

Natasha’s suspension

Meanwhile, Mr Imasuen, the chairperson of the Senate ethics committee, was involved in the recent suspension of the Kogi Central senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who accused the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, of sexual harassment.

After receiving a report from the Mr Imasuen-led committee, the Senate presided over by Mr Akpabio, suspended Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months over alleged misconduct and refusal to comply with the chambers’ sitting arrangement during the plenary session on 20 February.

Mr Akpabio referred the senator’s sexual harassment petition to the Senate ethics committee. The chairperson of the committee, Mr Imasuen, ruled that the petition was “dead on arrival” and would not be entertained by the Senate.

(PremiumTimes)