Liberia: Former LACC Chair, Nwabudike’s Legal Woes Continue

The disgraced former Chairman of the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC), Augustine Nwabudike, has had his legal woes deepened as the Supreme Court is yet to  issue a ruling on his application to have his counselor-at-law status restored.

Nwabudike, who became a naturalized Liberian citizen a few weeks ago, had filed an application with the court to restore his counselorship after after completing the suspension imposed on him by the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) for fraudulently obtaining Liberian citizenship in the first place.

But the Court, which is still deliberating on the matter, has warned Nwabudike that he should not be seen practicing law until a ruling is issued. 

“Acquisition of Liberian citizenship does not automatically restore him as a counsel-at-law, as the application needed to be filed before the full bench for the restoration status of his counselor at the Supreme Court Bar,” says Chief Justice Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh while hearing arguments on whether or not the Court should restore the disgraced former counselor's rights to practice law in Liberia.

Nwabudike, a one-time confidant of President George Weah, finally obtained Liberian citizenship on February 9, after falsely claiming to be a Liberian for decades. He used this lie to secure positions at the Governance Commission and later at the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, but his luck ran out when he was nominated to head the National Elections Commission in 2020.

Nwabudike had lied about almost everything, including his naturalization papers, date of birth, and references. He had told Senators that he naturalized as a Liberian in 1982 at the age of 16, arguing that he was accompanied by an adult, which the country's alien and naturalization law does not allow since an applicant must be 21 years of age.

However, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Observer, he claimed to have naturalized in 1988 after moving to Liberia in June of that year, the same year he purportedly completed his undergraduate studies in Nigeria.

Nwabudike submitted passports bearing different dates of birth and presented school records from the University of Liberia with a completely different birthdate from the passports. He also submitted a photocopy of what he claimed was his naturalization certificate, but it had no resident permit number, which is a document every naturalized citizen must first obtain before applying for citizenship.

Court and immigration officials testified that Nwabudike was not a Liberian at the time, and there were no records at Criminal Court B to authenticate his claim that he was naturalized in 1982.

Based on these fraudulent acts, the disgraced lawyer was later disbarred from the Liberian National Bar Association for falsely claiming to be a Liberian. In Liberia, the practice of law is strictly restricted to Liberians, which is something the association holds Nwabudike responsible for, as he was not a Liberian.

Many Liberians, including Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, had called for Nwabudike to face criminal prosecution and perjury charges for lying under oath before the Senate confirmation hearing committee. However, the government has failed to prosecute him despite the glaring evidence against him.