The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has dismissed a petition by Emmanuel Chambers, the law firm of Chief Afe Babalola SAN, seeking to revoke the practicing license of lawyer and author Tomilola Farotimi, popularly known as Dele Farotimi.
The petition alleged criminal defamation and professional misconduct tied to Farotimi’s book, Nigeria and the Criminal Justice System.
Filed by Ola Faro, a lawyer at Emmanuel Chambers, the petition claimed that Farotimi’s book contained defamatory statements against the Supreme Court and the legal profession.
It also accused him of distorting facts related to suit number SC/146/2006 and undermining a Supreme Court judgment impacting several residential estates.
However, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) ruled that the alleged offenses were committed in Farotimi’s capacity as an author, not during his practice as a lawyer.
Justice Isaq Usman Bello, Chairman of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), stated, “The publication is an intellectual property and not a conduct or action committed while practicing as a Legal Practitioner.”
The committee determined that it lacked jurisdiction over complaints regarding publications and advised aggrieved parties to seek redress in regular courts.
Emmanuel Chambers had argued that Farotimi’s book violated the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023, claiming that it obstructed justice and disrespected fellow legal professionals.
The petition sought to have Farotimi’s name struck off the Roll of Legal Practitioners.
The LPDC’s decision reinforces the boundary between intellectual and professional conduct, emphasizing the need for grievances concerning publications to be addressed in appropriate judicial forums.
Farotimi has not yet issued a public statement on the LPDC’s ruling.