Due process, not politics

After leaving office, our client was charged with offences his lawyers believed were politically motivated. Pro-government media ran daily stories, and international coverage repeated the allegations without context. His legal team needed the case understood abroad, where it could influence diplomatic attention and the conduct of the trial.

Working under instruction from his London solicitors, we framed the case around due process and the rule of law rather than personality. We briefed correspondents in Lagos, London and Brussels with the documented legal facts, prepared the client and his family for interviews, and published a bilingual case website with court documents and a timeline.

We arranged briefings for parliamentarians in the UK and European Parliament with an interest in the region, and supported the legal team's submissions to international bodies.

The case was covered fairly in 14 international outlets. Three parliamentary groups raised it with ministers. After 14 months, the principal charges were withdrawn.