Court records show that in 2007, the Supreme Court of Georgia suspended Femi Gbajabiamila, now Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, from legal practice for 36 months after admitting misconduct involving client funds.
The ruling in In the Matter of Femi Gbaja (S07Y0991) stated that Gbajabiamila, admitted to the Georgia Bar in 2001, withdrew $25,000 from a client’s settlement account for personal use and refunded it only after a petition was filed years later.
The disciplinary sanction, accepted through a voluntary petition, cited breaches of trust rules.
Gbajabiamila had already returned to Nigeria by then, where he built a political career that saw him rise from Lagos lawmaker to Speaker of the House of Representatives and later Chief of Staff.
The case has sparked debate over Nigeria’s vetting system and its tolerance of ethical lapses in public life.