A Nigerian lawyer is testing the belief that you can never have too many lawyers. Prominent lawyer Rickey Tarfa is charged with the obstruction of justice and attempting to pervert the course of justice. Justice Aishat Opesanwo was expected a robust defense but not a 90-lawyer team to show up in his court. Yet, as Oscar Wilde noted, “Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.”
Police say that Tarfa blocked the arrest of two suspects in a corruption case by keeping them in his car for six hours after they were supposed to be put into custody. He is also accused of communicating through his personal mobile phone with a judge overseeing a trial between the EFCC and two private companies which he was representing. It is not clear if that “perverting the course of justice” is due to the call be ex parte and whether the judge is also charged (or whether the judge declined the communication).
Regardless, Tarfa showed up with a virtual army of lawyers and the the court denounced his move as an effort to intimidate the court. I can only imagine that this was a showing of support from the bar than an actual legal team since it would be virtually unmanageable in any actual case.
Tarfa was granted bail at the hearing and the case has been adjourned until March. Presumably, he will downsize a bit for the next hearing.
Then again with hillary clinton’s definition of democracy……it is plausible that the usg assinated the lawyer movement leader in pakistan. The super delegates were too “grass roots”…..lawyers.
Lawyers in pakistan almost changed the direction of their country…..until the muslims assisinated her leader.
Donald No Trump Duck: I did not quite get it at first. But faithfully executing those perps would be good for the citizens. They need to unite.
Anyone who shows up in court with that many attorneys has to be not guilty by reason of insanity.
Linn Chainey
The Missouri constitution requires that the state Supreme Court be faithfully executed.
To compare Missouri to Nigeria is unfair. In Nigeria 90 lawyers showed up to defend someone. In Missouri the entire Bar is ignorant of due process and the notion of a fair trial. They must take the Bar exam on a bar stool. The defense lawyer tried here but he ran into what one guy called The SwampEast Missoura Rail Road. Remind me to send my kids to Nigeria for college. Not Mizzou.
Think of the legal bills: Worse, think of defaulting on those legal bills.
For all we know the 90 lawyers added up to 1 qualified legal representative. Each gets 1/90 of a billable hour.
The Governor of Missouri needs to pardon Doc Nash immediately.
I enjoy the image of all those lawyers wrangling for control of the case but I’m having trouble with a venue large enough for all those egos.
Lisa, It’s probable that OJ didn’t do it. There is a book that lays out the case against his son that is quite compelling. Evidence includes a vehicle, a knife, a photo of him with a black hat and a dog (a black hat was found at the scene and had dog hair on it), his history of violence, including the use of a knife, his being dissed by Nicole earlier that evening, etc. OJ was probably at the scene afterward and guilty of something, but not murder. He did get lawyers for his adult kids and his son was never interviewed.
I wonder how this is going to get billed?
I read the articles and they were well written. How can a trial judge refuse to allow a defendant to put on evidence a photograph of the fingerprints on the windshield at the crime scene as well as proof that they were the fingerprints of a sex offender who knew the victim? This is in Afghanistan?
I read both articles from the Riverfront Times posted above by dave. I read them twice. I have changed my position or feelings about “Mob Rule”. A mob in Missouri should go to the state capital there and demand that all of the judges of the Missoura Supreme Court resign immediately. They should go to the prison where Nash is locked up for life and spring him. They should post the photo of the felon Feldman on outhouse walls until further notice.
Lawyers smell blood miles away, like the blood of Nichole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, and circled like vultures.
That village of attorneys got a double murderer off. One lawyer Johnnie Cochran, was worshipped in his circle of friends for getting OJ off while another, Bob Shapiro was scorned in his circle of friends. So the more, the merrier the trial becomes.
I must add that the writer of the two part story in the Riverfront Times wrote one of the best stories that I have seen in several years. His name is Nicholas Phillips. I recommend the article even if you are not concerned about the absence of justice in this territory called Missouri. Great photos, great sentence structure and development of the story. There are comments too.
I read the articles posted by Neighbordave and also referenced by Dave’sNotHereMan about the trial conducted by the SwampEastMissoura Railroad. There, the trial court and the Missouri Supreme Court allowed a frameup. They reject the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment. You get no due process in Missoura in a criminal trial. You get duly hosed. There was no sufficient evidence to put the defendant at either crime scene and then they denied him the right to produce evidence that a boyfriend of the decedent named Feldman left his fingerprints on the windshield of her car at the first crime scene and probably his dna on a shoelace which he strangled her with at the outhouse (second crime scene). The trial judge for the SwampEastMissoura RR needs to be impeached and the members of the Missouri Supreme Court need to be sent to law school and then executed.
Nothing says ego like lawyer.
Side Bar: the story of Donald Nash, referred to by DavesNotHereMan (no Eagles, please) shows just how limited police work can be when you don’t have money and focus. It ain’t like TV, man.
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/a-killing-in-the-hills/Content?oid=3058230
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/trail-to-nowhere/Content?oid=3059570
As a colleague once opined as we were leaving the building after a day of trial (with several more days left) “The Courthouse is a dangerous place.”
We all object.
Everything in moderation. Including moderation. But I would not be moderate if I lived in that pirate territory. That place is worse than Missouri. See the article in the Riverfront Times about the Donald Nash conviction– first page the past two weeks.