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Tag: EFCC

  • Hearing stalled in Diezani’s property forfeiture case

    Hearing stalled in Diezani’s property forfeiture case

    The hearing of an application to forfeit two penthouses valued at $4.760million allegedly belonging to former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, was stalled at the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday.

    The applicant, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the respondents were not represented in court when the case was called for hearing before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun.

    A new date of February 12 next year has been fixed for the hearing.

    The court had on December 5 ordered the temporary forfeiture of Penthouse 21, Building 5, Block C, 11th floor (Bella Vista Estate) Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, and Penthouse 22, Block B (Admiralty Estate), also in Ikoyi, Lagos.

    EFCC said the properties were reasonably suspected to have been acquired with “proceeds of crime.”

    Mrs. Alison-Madueke, Donald Amangbo, Schillenburg LLC and Sequoyah Property Limited are the respondents.

    The Commission said the companies in whose names the properties were acquired belong to the former minister.

    An investigator, Abdulrasheed Bawa, who deposed to a supporting affidavit to the ex-parte motion, said sometime in 2016, a search warrant was executed at Amangbo’s premises.

    He said Amangbo was “an acquaintance of Mrs. Alison Madueke.”

    The investigator said one of the documents recovered from Amamgbo led the operatives to the Deputy Managing Director of YF Construction Development and Real Estate Limited, Mr. Fadi Basbous.

    The deponent said Basbous made a statement where he said the two properties were sold at $3.570million and $1.194 million and are owned by Sequoyah Properties Limited and Schillenburg LLC.

    Bawa said the properties were paid for by Mrs. Angela Jide-Jones and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited.

    According to him, Mrs. Jide-Jones was married to Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s associate, Jide Omokore, who registered and promoted Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept.

    The EFCC investigator said Omokore paid for the properties through his wife, Angela.

     

     

  • Nnamani seeks perpetual injunction against EFCC, others

    Nnamani seeks perpetual injunction against EFCC, others

    A former Enugu State Governor Chimaroke Nnamani yesterday applied for a perpetual injunction restraining the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting or prosecuting him for alleged money laundering involving about N4.5 billion state funds.

    In a motion filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, he sought an “order of perpetual injunction restraining the complainant/respondent whether by itself, agent, privies or any other person deriving power, command, authority, instruction or directive from the complainant/respondent from inviting, interrogating, investigating, arresting, maintaining or otherwise prosecuting the accused person in respect  of the offences contained in charge: Federal Republic of Nigeria Vs. Chimaroke Nnamani & Ors in its original or amended form”.

    The application was filed through his lawyer, Abubakar Shamsudeen, of the firm of Mr. Rickey Tarfa (SAN).

    Nnamani said he had already entered into a plea bargain with the Federal Government, following which the companies charged along with him forfeited their assets.

    He said his lawyers advised him to take the step in view of his health.

    The former governor and senator said he underwent a major heart surgery abroad in 2003 and is bedridden in a United States’ (U.S.) hospital.

    “In view of the 1st accused/applicant’s inability to stand trial without jeopardising his life in the process, he was advised by his lawyers to consider settling outside of court in order to adequately take care of his grave ill health,” the application reads.

    Nnamani urged the court in Lagos not to try him for alleged money laundering for lack of jurisdiction.

    Justice Chuka Obiozor on December 4 issued a bench warrant for Nnamani’s arrest for failure to attend court for his arraignment.

    The judge also ordered the arrest of Nnamani’s co-accused, Sunday Anyaogu.

    Yesterday, Samusudeen said he filed an application praying the court to hold that it lacks jurisdiction to entertain the case.

    Nnamani prayed for an order suspending his arraignment pending the hearing and determination of his application for injunction.

    EFCC lawyer Kelvin Uzozie said he was just being served with the application and that there was an issue of law contained in it. He sought a short adjournment to enable the EFCC respond. The EFCC first arraigned Nnamani 10 years ago on 105 counts of alleged money laundering and economic crimes.

    The case has been handled by Justices Tijani Abubakar, Charles Archibong (retd) and Mohammed Yunusa, who was eventually transferred and subsequently retired, before it was re-assigned to Justice Obiozor.

    Justice Yunusa had split Nnamani’s trial from those charged along with him.

    The former governor was charged along with his former aide, Sunday Anyaogu, and six firms – Rainbownet Nig Ltd, Hillgate Nig Ltd, Cosmos FM, Capital City Automobile Nig Ltd, Renaissance University Teaching Hospital and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School.

    Following a plea bargain on July 5, 2015, the companies, named as co-defendants and said to belong to Nnamani, forfeited their multi-billion naira assets to the Federal Government.

    Among the forfeited assets were undeveloped properties and transmission equipment of Rainbownet Limited; properties of Hill Gate Investment Limited/Cuena Phones Limited; assets of Cosmo 105.5FM, and 22 duplexes at Ebeano Estate (now Fidelity Estate).

    Others are Rainbownet’s shares in Zenith Bank and Guarantee Trust Bank, with a combined account balance of N4.6 million; as well as monies in its bank accounts worth about N34.8 million.

    The balances are in different accounts with GTBank (N313,700); Sterling Bank (N986,958); Ecobank (N24.5million); First City Monument Bank (N3.8million) and Zenith Bank (N761,156).

    Justice Obiozor adjourned till January 19 for hearing of Nnamani’s application.

    He said the bench warrant issued on Nnamani subsists; he withdrew that of the second defendant.

  • DSS, EFCC, NIA, Senate panel meet over inter agency feud

    DSS, EFCC, NIA, Senate panel meet over inter agency feud

    THE Senate yesterday held a closed-door trouble-shooting meeting with the Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Lawal Daura, Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, and Director, Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) Mohammed Dauda.

    The secret meeting followed the adoption of a motion on altercation between operatives of the three Federal Government agencies.

    The upper chamber had inaugurated an ad-hoc panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Monday, November 21 reported clash between operatives of the security agencies.

    EFCC and DSS operatives were reported to have been involved in a major stand-off over alleged moves to arrest a former Director-General of the Service, Mr. Ita  Ekpeyong, at his Maitama, Abuja home.

    Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) operatives were also said to have prevented EFCC operatives from arresting the agency’s sacked Director-General, Mr. Ayo Oke,? the same day in Abuja.

    The Senate, at its plenary on Tuesday, November 22, set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the dispute.

    The Senator Francis Alimikhena-led committee was given two weeks to submit its report.

    Alimikhena asked the invitees whether they had any observation to make before the proper beginning of the investigative hearing.

    The Edo North senator said they needed to create a friendly atmosphere for the invitees to speak freely.

    He asked Daura, Magu and Dauda if they had any comments to make.

    Magu and Dauda appeared not to be opposed to the presence of reporters in the meeting. Daura noted that for them to speak frankly, the meeting should be held in camera.

    Daura said: “Mr. Chairman and other members, I have some reservations I need to make. This is a sensitive issue and I want to ask that journalists be asked to leave the room. The issues we will discuss here should not be for public consumption.”

    Following Daura’s request, Alimikhena said: “I have heard what you said. The matter is of security importance to this country. We want to see the agencies work together. We will oblige to what you have said. We want to ensure that you are comfortable enough to give something.”

  • Senate meets DSS, EFCC, NIA chiefs over feud

    Senate meets DSS, EFCC, NIA chiefs over feud

    The Senate on Thursday held a closed meeting with the Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Mr. Lawal Daura, Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, and Director- General of Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mohammed Dauda, over recent clashes between the Federal Government agencies.

    Senate had on November 22 inaugurated an ad-hoc panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the November 21 clash between operatives of EFCC, DSS and NIA.

    The committee headed by Senator Francis Alimikhena was given two weeks to submit its report.

    The EFCC and DSS operatives reportedly clashed on November 21 over purported moves to arrest a former Director-General of the Service, Mr. Ita  Ekpeyong, at his Maitama, Abuja, residence.

    The NIA operatives also prevented EFCC operatives from arresting the sacked Director-General of the agency, Mr. Ayo Oke‎, same day in Abuja.

    Daura, Magu and Dauda were at the venue of Thursday’s meeting several hours before members of the committee arrived and sat far apart from each other.

    Magu was accompanied by EFCC officials deployed for the attempted arrest of Ekpenyong and Oke.

    Alimikhena, after his opening remarks at the hearing on altercation between EFCC and DSS, asked if any of the heads of the agencies in attendance had any observations or questions.

    The NIA and EFCC chiefs said they had none but the DSS boss asked that the hearing be conducted in camera.

  • EFCC denies plot to arrest Maina

    EFCC denies plot to arrest Maina

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday denied issuing a bench warrant for the arrest of a former Chairman of the Presidential Pension Reform Task Force (PRTT), Dr. AbdulRasheed Maina.

    The EFCC in an affidavit deposed to by one of its officials, Yunisa Musa, described as false claims by Maina that a bench warrant has been issued for his arrest.

    Maina had in a written address in support of a motion filed at the Federal High Court, Kaduna, on Wednesday, is seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the EFCC from arresting him.

     

     

  • Nnamani challenges court’s jurisdiction on money laundering trial

    Nnamani challenges court’s jurisdiction on money laundering trial

    A former Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, has urged the Federal High Court, Lagos, not to try him for alleged money laundering due to lack of jurisdiction.

    Justice Chuka Obiozor on December 4 issued a bench warrant for Nnamani’s arrest over his failure to show up in court for his arraignment.

    The judge also ordered the arrest of Nnamani’s co-accused, Sunday Anyaogu.

    Nnamani’s lawyer, Abubakar Samusudeen, said on Thursday he filed an application praying the court to hold that it lacks jurisdiction to entertain the case.

    According to him, there was a plea bargain agreement between Nnamani’s co-accused and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) based on an amended charge of July 7, 2015.

    Nnamani prayed for an order setting aside the charge against him and eight others, whether in its original or amended form.

    He sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Federal Government or its agents from inviting, instituting, maintaining or otherwise prosecuting them in respect of the charge.

    Nnamani prayed for an order suspending his arraignment pending the hearing and determination of his application for injunction.

    Samusudeen also urged the court to withdraw the bench warrant issued against Anyaogu (the second defendant), saying he came to the court voluntarily and was not aware that the matter was to come up at the last adjournment date when his arrest was ordered.

    EFCC lawyer, Kelvin Uzozie, said he was just being served with the application, adding that there was an issue of law contained in it.

    He asked for short adjournment to enable the EFCC respond to the application.

  • It is cheaper to prevent corruption than fight it – Magu

    It is cheaper to prevent corruption than fight it – Magu

    The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, said on Thursday it is cheaper to prevent corruption than to fight it.

    Magu stated this during the Anti-Corruption Sensitisation Programme organised for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and aviation sector workers Abuja.

    He said section six of the EFCC Act required the Commission to, in addition to its enforcement responsibilities, take measures to prevent economic and financial crimes.

    Magu said part of such preventive measures was an aggressive sensitisation campaign, public enlightenment and education in both public and private sectors.

    The essence, according to him, is to improve workplace consciousness of corruption and its corrosive effects and encourage workers to embrace them.

    “The EFCC alone couldn’t fight and win the war against corruption in Nigeria.

    “I would like to seize this opportunity to remind us that, corruption affects all of us.

    “We must resolve to fight it to a standstill in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s admonition to us that, “If we don`t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria.

    “We must not allow that to happen, for the sake of our children and the unborn generation,’’ the EFCC chief said.

    Magu said the airport, as the most important gateway into the country, was strategic in many ways.

    He said since airport was foreigners’ first contact with Nigeria, the impression they formed about the country would be largely informed by the conduct of aviation professionals.

    NAN

  • 30 contractors to face EFCC over East-West Road project

    30 contractors to face EFCC over East-West Road project

    THIRTY contractors will soon face the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the East-West Road project and other projects, it was learnt yesterday.

    Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Usani Uguru Usani broke the news while briefing State House correspondents at the end of Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    He said the FEC approved N16 billion for the completion of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) headquarters building.

    According to Usani, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is doing everything possible to put the East-West Road project on track.

    But while responding to a question on why N16 billion was approved for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) headquarters building when the fund will go a long way to complete the East-West Road project, he said that the East West Road project was designed to fail.

    The minister said: “Sometimes when questions or concerns come from the public, you provoke our thoughts to get back to our sense of history.

    “The road is a project that has been messed up from inception, naturally designed to fail by all the agreements and designed concepts that we have seen. And here we are making sure that we put things in order so that we can see the terminal point of that project.

    “The project started more than a decade ago and in 24 months, we have made the progress we have made on that project, correcting even the construction deficits in the area. Then, I think you should be able to appreciate what we are doing.

    “One, you talk of N16 billion as if it is so relevant in completing the East-West Road, I wish to tell you that the outstanding certificate on the road amount to N30 billion. So, if we put N16 billion there, in fact one and the other are not substitutes.

    Two of them are essential infrastructure projects that must go on. So, it doesn’t mean that if we put that money on the East-West road, then it satisfies the needs of housing the NDDC.

    “The Niger Delta region has a prime position in our preference to develop the area and so there are no substitutes. So, even if we are not going to do the NDDC headquarters, it doesn’t mean we will complete the East-West Road. They are all important and I want you to get that into your mind.”

    On how much has been spent on the road, Usani said: “We have spent N300 billion on the East-West Road and yet the project has not made much progress.

    “I’m doing a review of the entire contract of the road because without that, nothing will ever happen on that road; talk less of completion. The design, negotiations and contract; everything is wrong. You designed a project of that nature and give it a lifespan or seven years and then no designs in some sectors and yet you are attributing cost to it.

    “So, by what means did you have the elements of costing. These are verifiable facts at any time.”

    Asked if government plans to prosecute those that designed faulty contracts, the minister said: “Right now, I have gotten some of these contracts and I’m sending them to the EFCC, not just for the East-West Road. I have got a minimum of 30 contractors that I am sending to EFCC.

    “On the East-West road, I have taken a private consultants to review the whole cost. So, some contractors will obviously refund money for which the present cost will be discounted.

    “So, when you see contractors ganging up and publishing things against me, you should know the foundation. But as far as I am here, I will do something that I feel is right.”

    He noted that it would be wise to complete the building instead of spending N2 billion rent yearly in 13 years.

  • Verdict in Assembly, EFCC suit Jan

    Verdict in Assembly, EFCC suit Jan

    A Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, has fixed January 24 for judgment in the suit filed by the House of Assembly against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The Assembly filed the suit to restrain the anti-graft agency from probing its finances.

    The legislators, led by Speaker Kola Oluwawole, headed to the court, seeking reliefs to stop the EFCC from arresting or detaining its members.

    Justice Taiwo Taiwo, at yesterday’s court’s sitting, set the date for the judgment after counsel to parties adopted their briefs of argument.

    Counsel to the Assembly Mr Peter Nwatu argued that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides for separation of power among the three arms of government.

    The lawyer averred that there is no reason for a federal agency, as represented by EFCC, to interfere in the business of a legislative arm.

    According to him, the Constitution is supreme over any federal agency, including EFCC, on how funds are disbursed to the Assembly or how they are being appropriated.

    EFCC’s lawyer A. Akoja said federal agencies, including EFCC, cannot be restricted from performing their statutory duties.

    He urged the court to dismiss the plaintiffs’ suit for lacking in merit.

  • EFCC confirms attack on Magu’s house

    EFCC confirms attack on Magu’s house

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) has confirmed an attack by unknown gunmen on a property belonging to its Acting Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu.

    In a statement on Wednesday evening, spokesman of the commission, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said the attackers murdered a police sergeant guarding the property located in Karshi, a suburb of Abuja.

    “The property, a farmhouse located in Karshi, a suburb of Abuja, was attacked by unknown gunmen at about 10 p.m. on Dec. 12, 2017 .

    Read Also:Unknown gunmen invade Magu’s house, kill policeman

    “The unidentified men murdered a police sergeant on duty. The incident was the second such attack on the same farmhouse,” he said.

    Wilson said the commission would not speculate on the motive of the attack.

    He, however, stated that the EFCC under the leadership of Magu would not be deterred in its mission to rid the country of corruption.

    Read: EFCC to appeal Justice Nganjiwa’s acquittal