A lawyer in Osun state, J. P. Jones, has faulted the claim by a Lagos based Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olanrewaju Ogunlesi, agiasnt Justice Jide Falola.
Ogunlesi had reportedly claimed that a Judge of Osun state, Falola, and some lawyers, involved in a corruption in respect of a garnishee matter against Polaris Bank Plc.
In a response written by the lawyer and made available to news men in Osogbo, he alleged that Ogunlesi, who he referred to as “Learned Silk” induced Justice Falola through cajole, intimidation and blackmail to come to his chamber.
Ogublesi SAN had in an online media claimed that Justice Falola came to beg him in his chamber after realizing that he gave a ‘false judgment’ in respect of the Polaris Bank case.
But, Jones said the senior lawyer was only using media to threaten the judge and other lawyers in the matter.
He said, “Without sounding to hold the brief of the Honorable Judge, it is my candid opinion that if the Learned Silk has any personal issue with the Hon. Judge, there are better ways to resolve same, and not ridicule the Judiciary in the eyes of the common man out there.
“I can confirm that there are pieces of information which shows that it was the Learned Silk himself that induced His Lordship through cajole, intimidation and blackmail to come to his chambers.
“As it turned out, His Lordship has never heard of him, and he has never appeared before his Lordship in any matter till date. This also places an ethical burden on the Learned Silk and his team as to the rationale behind initiating contact with a Judge.
“Contrary to the over hyped headline by Premium Times which I strongly condemn for trying to be sensational by being biased in the process of carrying out their professional business of journalism, otherwise, why did they not contact my humble self or Omoyeni Omosola Esq. to hear our own side of the story before publishing what I term one sided story?
“With regards to being threatened, I can conveniently state here that it has become the tool employed by the Learned Silk right from the very first day we met in court and I had to bring it to the notice of the court by seeking protection from the vacation Judge when the matter was being heard.
He listed the allegations against Ogunlesi as “Connivance with the Court Staffs, particularly Osogbo Court Staffs to hold unto original Court file without returning same to the High Court of Justice, Ikirun for the sake of preventing the Judgment Creditors/Respondents from compiling records to the Court of Appeal as required by Law within the appropriate time stipulated by law.
“Having direct access to the Court file wherein, before the bailiff of High Court of Justice, Ikirun served him with any court process filed by the Judgment Creditors/Respondents, he would have already gotten a copy and will embark on placing threat calls across to me.
“Blackmailing me everywhere and sending threat messages against me and to Omoyeni Odusola Esq and mockery messages to me in person.
“Placing threat calls to me particularly on the 7/9/2019 at about 12:49pm.
“Divulging to the general public in Pdf format, press report and direct court processes of a matter still pending in Court and blackmailing my person, especially his Counter Affidavit to a Motion of Stay of Execution that has not been heard.
“He has boasted and threatened me severally that he will use his influence to ensure that Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Council (LPDC) derobes me as far as this matter is concerned.
“He has boasted also that virtually all his colleagues at Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Council (LPDC) will rally round him to ensure that he derobes me.
“This was said right in the Court premises and even inside the Court, to which I stood up to seek the protection of the Court from the SAN concerning his untoward utterances towards me, and the Court called him to order, but same was his anthem upon leaving the Court room.
“Pressurizing and inducing a Judge through cajole, intimidation, blackmail and actual threat, directly and through surrogate, to come to his chambers and also to stop the ruling of the vacation Judge from being appealed against.
“That at the moment, the Judgment Creditors/Respondents are at the mercy of the Learned Silk who is using his position to dictate the pace of how the matter will be determined in court.
