MALACHY UZENDU, Abuja

Pinheiro was appointed Receiver/Manager of MOBITEL Limited, a telecommunications company, and was at the firm to effect the take over when the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Charles Alaba Joseph, was found dead.

The lawyer, who would have been conferred with the highest professional honour in the legal profession, had his name struck off a list of 15 already approved for the elevation.

Though Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mohammadu Uwais did not state categorically why he dropped Pinheiro from the list, a source close to his office said controversy over Joseph’s death stopped Pinheiro’s elevation.

However, Justice Uwais, while swearing-in the new silks, explained that "this year, 150 legal practitioners and academics applied for the rank of SAN, of those, 82, who are legal practitioners, met the basic criteria for conferment. 24 others applied as academics.

"The other criteria they met is based on their appearances and performances in court. Comments by the Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal; the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and Chief Judges of the state and other high courts on the character of each of the qualified applicants.