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The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Idemili Branch has sensitised its members on the latest review of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) rules for legal practitioners, aimed at fostering transparency and accountability.

Speaking at the first 2025 Bar meeting of the NBA Idemili Branch, held at the Fountain Bar Centre, Ogidi High Court, Idemili North LGA, Anambra State, the branch chairman, Barrister Chidi Betsy Nnaji, said the sensitisation and training programme was designed to prevent the misuse of legal services for financial crimes.

Nnaji, who was recently elected Chairman of all Chairmen, NBA Anambra State, explained that a resolution at the association's National Executive Council (NEC) meeting mandated all NBA branches to educate lawyers on the revised rules to prevent them from becoming victims of money laundering or terrorism financing.

She highlighted that Chapter 2 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners (RPC), 2023, which took effect in January 2024, provides guidelines to prevent financial crimes within the legal profession. The rules align legal practice with international AML/CFT standards while upholding ethical principles.

According to Nnaji, the guidelines aim to prevent the misuse of legal services for financial crimes, ensure compliance with global AML/CFT standards such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations, encourage a risk-based approach to client transactions, protect the integrity of the legal profession, and balance confidentiality with AML/CFT reporting obligations.

The rules apply to all legal practitioners, particularly those handling client funds or assets, the creation of legal entities or trusts, and large or complex financial transactions. Lawyers are required to verify client identities, maintain records, and assess transaction purposes through Client Due Diligence (CDD).

They must also apply stricter checks for high-risk clients, such as politically exposed persons (PEPs) and individuals from high-risk jurisdictions, under Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD). Additionally, lawyers must maintain transaction records for at least five years, report suspicious activities, screen clients against national and international sanctions lists, and report any matches to the relevant authorities.

Nnaji emphasised that compliance with these measures aligns Nigeria with global AML/CFT standards, enhances risk management practices, and protects lawyers from unintended legal consequences. She warned that the Nigerian Bar Association Anti-Money Laundering Committee (NBA-AMLC), which serves as the supervisory body, would penalise or refer non-compliant lawyers to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.

She also stressed the importance of lawyers adhering to the proper dress code taught in law school, announcing that a committee would be established to sanction legal practitioners who fail to dress professionally.

During the meeting, Nnaji presented a well-documented account of all financial transactions from July to December 2024, fulfilling her campaign promise of transparency and accountability. As the new Chairman of the Committee of Chairmen, NBA Anambra State, she informed members that her first action was to ensure the committee wrote to the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, and Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, urging them to facilitate the resumption of sittings at the Court of Appeal, Awka Division, which had been closed for ten months due to security concerns.

She commended Governor Soludo for the recent improvements in security following the launch of Operation Agụnẹchemba/Operation Udo Ga-Achi in the state.

In his remarks, the first Chairman of the Idemili Branch, Barrister Chike Nonyelum, praised Nnaji for presenting a detailed financial report, noting that no branch chairman had done so in over a decade. He also urged Governor Soludo to monitor the activities of the state’s Homeland Security outfit, Agụnẹchemba, alleging that its operatives had begun extorting money from motorists at roadblocks.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) George Chiedu Igbokwe called on Governor Soludo to appoint more judges and create additional courts to ensure the speedy delivery of justice in the state.

The meeting featured the dissolution of the previous year's committee and the formation of the 2025 Diary and Law Week Committee. Other highlights included a quiz competition on the revised Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners (RPC), anchored by Barrister Chukwubuikem Obianyor, and a short homily on gratitude and moral integrity, delivered by Barrister Ike Obianyo.