DR. Erastus Akingbola’s lawyers led by Chief Felix Fagbohungbe, a  Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has faulted the statement made by Mallam Lamido Sanusi, governor of Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), while speaking with newsmen in Washington, United States of America, over the conviction and jailing of Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, former managing director/chief executive officer of Oceanic Bank International Plc by a federal high court, saying his position as the apex bank governor is so high for him to talk the way he did.
“He is talking as if he is controlling the court,” Fagbohungbe said. “He should not be seen as controlling the court because I expect him to leave everything to the court to decide.”
Fagbohungbe, who is the defence counsel to Dr Erastus Akingbola, former managing director/chief executive officer of Intercontinental Bank Plc, standing trial at the Federal High Court, Lagos, pointed out that the CBN governor is neither a judge nor a lawyer and wondered the capacity in which he was talking in matters that are before the court.
He maintained that Sanusi’s statement could be prejudicial and therefore not right. He was of the view that when an action is pending in court, it should not be commented on, in order not to prejudice the court.
He advised Sanusi to wait for the court to jail the bank chiefs before he comments, stressing that an accused person is presumed innocent while on trial until the court decides otherwise. He further advised the CBN governor to exercise some restraint until the court makes its pronouncement on either acquittal or conviction of the former bank chiefs facing trial.