Adekunbi Ogunde, one of the lawyers at the firm of Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has apologised for attempting to win the client of a colleague Odein Ajumogobia for her own firm.
Ogunde, who is in charge of getting business deals at Olanipekun’s law firm, had written Ajumogobia’s client, Saipem, urging the company to consider choosing her law firm over Ajumogobia’s in a suit alleging $130 million fraud brought against it by Rivers State Government.
Both Ajumogobia and Olanipekun have condemned Ogunde’s move.
In a press release, Ogunde said she acted in good faith, although without the consent or knowledge of Olanipekun and the firm’s managing partner, Bode Olanipekun.
“I found out about the Saipem matter through an online article, and I unilaterally reached out to Saipem about the said matter, which unknown to me, was no longer before the court,” she said.
“My limited knowledge about the litigation space came to bare because had I consulted with other persons conversant with the recent happenings in the litigation circles, I would have been informed that the matter between Saipem and the Rivers State Government had been settled out of court about two (2) months prior to my email of 20th June 2022. Therefore, as at the time of writing the said email, there was no such pending matter before the court.”
Ogunde also retracted her statement where she claimed Olanipekun had influence with judges.
“I made certain careless representations and inferences in my email of 20th June 2022, that could have been easily interpreted to mean that the firm could help secure some advantage in the court for Saipem,” she said.
“I must therefore retract such representations and state categorically that, since joining the law firm in December 2021, I have never seen any person at the firm (including its founding and managing Partners), engage in any unwholesome or unethical practice, in the manner that will suggest that the firm can somehow ‘influence’ judicial outcomes by improper means.
“My email of 20th June 2022 (although done in exuberance, but in good faith and with altruism) has caused great distress, embarrassment and trauma to the people I hold and will continue to very dearly – the founding partner of the firm, chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, OFR, the managing partner of the firm, Mr. Bode Olanipekun SAN, and my dearest parents, Mr. Oluwemimo Ogunde SAN and Mrs. Yinka Ogunde.”
