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Tag: temporary forfeiture

  • Court orders temporary forfeiture of ‘Diezani’s $4.760m property’

    Court orders temporary forfeiture of ‘Diezani’s $4.760m property’

    THE Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday ordered the temporary forfeiture of two penthouses valued at $4.760 million, which allegedly belong to former Petroleum Resources Minister Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

    The properties are: Penthouse 21, Building 5, Block C, 11th floor (Bella Vista Estate) Banana Island, Ikoyi, and Penthouse 22, Block B (Admiralty Estate) also in Ikoyi, Lagos.

    Justice Mojisola Olatoregun ordered that they be forfeited to the Federal Government.

    She ruled on an ex-parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The order, the judge said, is to subsist pending the conclusion of EFCC’s investigation on the properties’ ownership.

    EFCC said they are reasonably suspected to have been acquired with “proceeds or 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.

    Justice Olatoregun also granted an injunction against any disposal, conveyance, mortgaging, lease, sale or alienation of the properties.

    EFCC’s lawyer Anselm Ozioko said the application was based on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and Section 44(2)(b) and(k) of the 1999 Constitution.

    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 former Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs. Alison Madueke.”

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

    The deponent said Basbous made a statement, where he stated that the two properties were sold at $3.570 million 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-Jone 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.

    According to the operative, Omokore allegedly directed the developer (seller) to sign the agreements with Schillenburg LLC and Sequoyah Properties.

    The deponent said Schillenburg LLC was registered in Hong Kong and was transferred on March 30, 2012, to Amamgbo as sole owner.

    According to the EFCC investigator, Amamgbo stated in his statement that he incorporated Schillenburg LLC and handed it over to Mrs. Alison-Madueke “for a transaction”.

    The deponent added that Sequoyah Properties “is among 18 companies registered by Donald Chid Amangbo for holding the properties of Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke”.

     

  • Paris/London Club loan: Firms oppose temporary forfeiture of N1.4b

    Paris/London Club loan: Firms oppose temporary forfeiture of N1.4b

    Three firms have raised objections to the temporary forfeiture of N1.4bilion, being part of Paris/London Club loan, to the Federal Government.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said N1,442,384,857.84 was fraudulently obtained from the states through the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).

    Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court in Lagos made the temporary forfeiture order on October 13 based on an ex-parte application filed by the EFCC through its lawyer Mr Ekene Iheanacho.

    The court directed the commission to advertise the order in a newspaper for any interested person to show cause as to why it should not be permanently forfeited within 14 days.

    Melrose General Services Limited, WASP Networks Limited and Thebe Wellness Services are the respondents.

    A firm, Linas International Limited and a lawyer Godwin Udemaduka have filed applications to be joined as interested parties.

    Melrose General Services has also filed an application contesting the forfeiture order.

    Its counsel Wole Akoni (SAN) said the firm will ask the court to set the order aside.

    Iheanacho prayed for an adjournment to enable him file replies to the fresh applications.

    EFCC’s investigator Usman Zakari stated in an affidavit that on May 26, last year, the NGF engaged GSCL Consulting and Bizplus Consulting Services Limited.

    He said the “GSCL Bizplus Consortium” was hired to verify, reconcile, and recover excess deductions on the loans from the accounts of states and local government areas (LGAs) between 1995 to 2002.

    The Consortium was said to have recovered $6, 483, 282, 424. 61, as the sum to be refunded to the states.

    Zakari said in line with the governors’ request, the Ministry of Finance, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), paid $86,546,526.65 and N19,439,225,871.11 (representing five percent of the approved initial Paris and London Club refund) into NGF’s GTBank Plc and Access Bank Plc accounts, purportedly to defray consultancy and incidental expenses.

    The N19, 439, 225, 871.11 was paid into the Access Bank account on December 8, 2016; on December 14, 2016, the NGF paid N4,389, 207, 099 .05 to the consortium as part of agreed consultancy fee, Zakari said.

    According to him, Melrose General Services, whose alter ego is Robert Mbonu, was never engaged by the NGF for any consultancy services in relation to the Paris and London Club loan refund.

    Zakari alleged that Melrose General Services allegedly recopied and misinterpreted the consortium’s work to the NGF for payment.

    He said the firm was paid N3.5 billion by the NGF on December 14, 2016.

    Zakari said between December 15, 2016 and January 20, 2017, Melrose General Services moved out about N2,277,615,142 from its account out of the N3.5billion, leaving a balance of N1,222,384,857.84, before EFCC intervened.

    The operative said N220million was voluntarily returned by the firm.

    He, therefore, urged the court to make an order for a temporary forfeiture of N1,222, 384, 857. 84 in Melrose General Services’ Access Bank account and the recovered N220 million.

    Justice Olatoregun adjourned until November 17 for hearing.

  • Paris/London Club loan: Firms oppose temporary forfeiture of N1.4b

    Three firms have raised objections to the temporary forfeiture of N1.4bilion, being part of Paris/London Club loan, to the Federal Government.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said  N1,442,384,857.84 was fraudulently obtained from the states through the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).

    Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court in Lagos made the temporary forfeiture order on October 13 based on an ex-parte application filed by the EFCC through its lawyer Mr Ekene Iheanacho.

    The court directed the commission to advertise the order in a newspaper for any interested person to show cause as to why it should not be permanently forfeited within 14 days.

    Melrose General Services Limited, WASP Networks Limited and Thebe Wellness Services are the respondents.

    A firm, Linas International Limited and a lawyer Godwin Udemaduka have filed applications to be joined as interested parties.

    Melrose General Services has also filed an application contesting the forfeiture order.

    Its counsel Wole Akoni (SAN) said the firm will ask the court to set the order aside.

    Iheanacho prayed for an adjournment to enable him file replies to the fresh applications.

    EFCC’s investigator Usman Zakari stated in an affidavit that on May 26, last year, the NGF engaged GSCL Consulting and Bizplus Consulting Services Limited.

    He said the “GSCL Bizplus Consortium” was hired to verify, reconcile, and recover excess deductions on the loans from the accounts of states and local government areas (LGAs) between 1995 to 2002.

    The Consortium was said to have recovered $6, 483, 282, 424. 61, as the sum to be refunded to the states.

    Zakari said in line with the governors’ request, the Ministry of Finance, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), paid $86,546,526.65 and N19,439,225,871.11 (representing five percent of the approved initial Paris and London Club refund) into NGF’s GTBank Plc and Access Bank Plc accounts, purportedly to defray consultancy and incidental expenses.

    The N19, 439, 225, 871.11 was paid into the Access Bank account on December 8, 2016; on December 14, 2016, the NGF paid N4,389, 207, 099 .05 to the consortium as part of agreed consultancy fee, Zakari said.

    According to him, Melrose General Services, whose alter ego is Robert Mbonu, was never engaged by the NGF for any consultancy services in relation to the Paris and London Club loan refund.

    Zakari alleged that Melrose General Services allegedly recopied and misinterpreted the consortium’s work to the NGF for payment.

    He said the firm was paid N3.5 billion by the NGF on December 14, 2016.

    Zakari said between December 15, 2016 and January 20, 2017, Melrose General Services moved out about N2,277,615,142 from its account out of the N3.5billion, leaving a balance of N1,222,384,857.84, before EFCC intervened.

    The operative said N220million was voluntarily returned by the firm.

    He, therefore, urged the court to make an order for a temporary forfeiture of N1,222, 384, 857. 84 in Melrose General Services’ Access Bank account and the recovered N220 million.

    Justice Olatoregun adjourned until November 17 for hearing.

     

     

     

  • Alleged fraud: Court grants temporary forfeiture of firm’s N206m

    A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday froze N206 million belonging to a firm being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged fraud.

    The EFCC said it reasonably suspected the sum to be part of a fraudulent transaction and proceeds of crime by two respondents, Vermilion Studio Products Ltd and a woman, Akintola Olubunmi Vera.

    Vacation judge, Justice Abdulaziz Anka, authorised the agency to confiscate the sum pending the determination of its investigation and possible prosecution of the case.

    Justice Anka made the interim order following an ex parte application of August 10, 2017 by the commission’s lawyer, George Chia-Yakua.

    Chia-Yakua told the judge that the sum was domiciled in two First Bank accounts numbered 3100844602 belonging to Vermilion Studio Products and 3011147218 belonging to Vera.

    According to a supporting affidavit by an EFCC investigating officer, Paul Ugema, the agency began investigation of the matter following a petition it received.

    The petition alleged that the respondents diverted over N206 million property of Mooncrest Enterprises Nig. Ltd.

    “It was discovered that the respondents were making suspicious funds transfer into the accounts which are subject of investigation.

    “I know as a fact that the money found in the accounts of the respondents is reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime,” Ugema said.

  • Court orders temporary forfeiture of building belonging to PDP Delta Senator

    Court orders temporary forfeiture of building belonging to PDP Delta Senator

    A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday on Monday, ordered the temporary forfeiture of a 12-storey building belonging to a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Senator, Peter Nwaoboshi.
    The property located at 27, Marine Road, Apapa, is said to belong to Nwaoboshi, who is representing Delta North Senatorial District.
    The court’s order was sequel to an ex-parte application, filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
    Nwaoboshi and his two companies; Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd and Bilderberg Enterprises Ltd are listed as respondents.
    Arguing the application, EFCC counsel, Mr. George Chia-yakua, informed the court that the application was pursuant to section 44(2)(k) of the constitution as well as Section 28 and 29 of the EFCC (establishment) Act 2004.
    The EFCC counsel informed the court that the Commission received a petition from an anti-corruption group, ‘Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum’, against the senator and his Companies on alleged money laundering.
    The EFCC stated that upon receipt of the petition, several investigations were carried out.
    It said it included making enquiries from the Code of Conduct Bureau, banks, Delta State Governor’s Office, Delta State Tenders Board, Nigeria Customs Service and Lagos State Ministry of Lands.
    The agency said that investigations were also made at the Federal Inland Revenue Services and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), with a view to tracing movement of funds suspected to be proceeds of Illegal activities.
    The EFCC stated that in 2010, the Tender Board of Delta State awarded a contract to the Senator’s second company to purchase new construction equipment for Delta State Direct Labour Agency.
    It said that this was at the sum of N1.58 billion, adding that rather than buying new equipment, the company only imported and supplied used equipment, while the Delta State government fully paid for new one.
    It further stated that upon investigation, it was revealed that the senator moved the proceeds to various accounts linked to him and his company bidded and bought the said 12-storey building, formerly known as Guinea House, located at 27, Marine Road, Apapa.
    It said this was for the sum of N805 million, through the use of his first company, Golden Touch Construction Project Ltd.
    The commission also stated that further investigation revealed that the senator’s Bank Verification Number had about 20 bank accounts while his private companies had about 23 bank accounts.
    It therefore, urged the court to grant the application, in order to prevent the disposal of the building pending the conclusion of investigation and when a criminal charge will be filed against the respondents.
    After listening to the submissions of counsel to the applicant, justice Anka ordered that the 12-storey building located at 27, Marine Road, Apapa, Lagos, be temporary forfeited to the federal government pending the outcome of its Investigation.