Neda Imasuen: Senate Committee Chairman who presided over Natasha’s suspension disbarred in New York over multimillion-Dollar fraud

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, Senator Neda Imasuen, has been permanently disbarred from practicing law in New York, United States, over allegations of fraud and gross misconduct.

Documents obtained by ThisDay Nigeris reveal that Imasuen was disbarred for life after allegedly swindling a client, Daphne Shyfield, of millions of dollars in legal fees without representing her in court. Despite multiple petitions filed against him, he reportedly fled to Nigeria to evade disciplinary action from the New York Grievance Committee.

According to the ruling issued on May 10, 2010, by the Grievance Committee for the Second, Eleventh, and Thirteenth Judicial Districts, Imasuen’s name was “stricken from the roll of attorneys and counselors-at-law.” The order also barred him from appearing before any court or public authority as an attorney.

Despite his legal troubles abroad, Imasuen successfully contested the Edo South senatorial seat under the Labour Party in 2023 and now heads the Senate Committee responsible for ethics and public petitions.

His position in the Senate has sparked concerns over the integrity of Nigerian leadership, especially after he recently dismissed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Imasuen’s case adds to the list of Nigerian politicians with legal and ethical controversies in foreign jurisdictions. Former Speaker and current Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, also had his law license revoked in the U.S. after admitting to misappropriating $25,000 from a client.

So far, Imasuen has not commented on the revelations regarding his disbarment.