Ondo Lawmaker In Trouble Over $10m Money Laundering Scandal

One of the Lawmakers, a member of the House of Representatives  representing Owo/Ose federal constituency, Hon. Omosule Eniolorunda is no doubt in trouble and the former PDP member who’s among those that defected to the ruling APC earlier this year has been running from pillar to post to find a lasting solution to his present predicament. This much National Enquirer can reveal.

According to inside sources, the greedy lawmaker, Hon. Eniolorunda may have bitten more than he can chew as he’s said to be involved in a money laundering controversy to the tune of a whopping Ten Million (US) Dollars ($10m).

Though, details of the money laundering deal are still sketchy, bubble burst, however when this office stumbled on some vital documents believed to have leaked from some of the aides of the federal lawmaker who’s said to have been so elated of late over the new deal which we gathered is over $10m.

According to the contents of one of the documents, dated July 27^th, 2015 and which was duly signed by the lawmaker with his passport photograph affixed, it shows that the lawmaker may have just taken delivery of a certain consignment, from no-where we don’t know yet, but there’s an indication that, it may likely contain American dollars.

The documents also have vital information like the lawmaker’s house address in Abuja given as 144 Zone A Apo Resettlement Area, Abuja, mother’s name, father’s name, next of kin and so on. And in our facts finding mission, we did plan to start investigations by cross checking the authenticity of the documents since there are certain facts and figures like the address on the letterhead but we decided to get in touch with the Ondo born politician and his response was quite appalling. Below are the excerpts of our conversation with him:

Hello sir, I am a reporter from National Enquirer and my boss has asked me to talk to you regarding certain documents which contents we can’t really fathom. Sir, the contents of one of the documents have your passport photograph affixed on it with what supposedly looks like your signature and other vital information and what baffles us is that the contents of the luggage, according to the information on it, is money, do you by any chance know anything about this sir or it is just a mix-up? And the man goes, “Eh! How and where did you get the documents, photocopy or original, where are they, did you see it, where are you now, please talk, he queried. Sir, am in Lagos, the reporter replied. Okay, now that you have this document, and you yourself said it’s very vital, what do you want to do with it, the honourable demanded. Sir, my boss asked me to talk to you for your response, okay, have you people talk to the SSS about it? SSS? Not sure we have any business talking to the SSS, we’re just investigating on our own for publication. Okay what do you want from me, he asked apologetically, just come down, talk to me, are you a Yoruba man, he asked further. Yes, but I don’t want anything sir, just your response.

Then, there was silence for a while, and this reporter was like, “hello sir, are you there?”, Yes am here, am actually here, look, I know what to do for people like you, look! this case has already been reported with the SSS in Abuja and also Police in Lagos are aware of it, you guys are 419, you have to help the police in their investigation, you have to tell them how you got the documents, now give me your name and whoever sent you, am going to ask the SSS to close in on you, you have to help them in their investigation, send me your office address now, it’s even good, am coming to Lagos next week, I have some things to clear in Apapa, I’ll call you, then we can meet, his words.

After his threat, we told him we’ve been recording our conversations from the beginning and later sent him the full names of our editor, his phone number and office address with descriptions. We however gave him the benefit of doubt to turn up in our office, make a call or send the SSS as he had boasted but it’s been 10 days and we have a job to do. We’re still holding on to the other document for further investigation in our print edition which hits the press next week. 

Jite Usman.    

Ex-President Jonathan Indicted In $1billion Oil Scandal In UK

The Southwark Crown Court in London on Tuesday said the President Goodluck Jonathan-led government was culpable in the corruption scandal surrounding the sale of the Nigerian offshore oil block, Oil Prospecting Licence 245.

The block, which is said to hold probable reserves of 9.23 billion barrels of oil, was sold to Shell and Eni for $1.1bn in 2011.

Prosecutors alleged that “fronts for President Goodluck Jonathan” received $523m in proceeds of what they described as “smash and grab” deal, with the Crown Prosecution Service, acting at the behest of the Public Prosecutor for Milan, describing OPL 245 as a case of “grand corruption”.

The court rejected an attempt by a company owned by a former Nigerian Petroleum Resources Minister, Dan Etete, to unfreeze $85m (N16.7bn) in proceeds of the corrupt deal for the block, according to a statement on the website of Global Witness.

Justice Edis of the Southwark Crown Court turned down Malabu Oil & Gas application to discharge the freezing order, rejecting its arguments that the Crown had failed to follow proper procedures in securing the freezing order.

“I cannot simply assume that the Federal Government of Nigeria, which was in power in 2011 and subsequently until 2015, rigorously defended the public interest of the people of Nigeria in all respects. Mr. Fisher QC, who appeared for the CPS, used the phrase ‘grand corruption’ to describe the form of corruption in which the state itself is culpable,” the judge said.

According to the statement, evidence from the US authorities presented to the court and included in the judgement “shows payments following circuitous routes, which totalled $523m, and arrived at Abubakar Aliyu, aka ‘Mr. Corruption’… Aliyu’s companies are allegedly fronts for President Goodluck Jonathan.”

Justice Edis said, “The suggestion from the wiretaps is that ‘Fortunato’ was implicated and I am told that this was a reference in code (not subtle) to the former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan. Aliyu is said to be associated with him and Aliyu received, in a way which was not transparent, $523m of the money paid for the OPL 245 licence in August 2011.”

The $85m funds were restrained at the request of the Italian authorities, who are investigating the sale of the block by Malabu, a company allegedly secretly owned by Etete, to the international oil companies, the statement said.

It added that the Federal Government under Jonathan acted as a middleman in the deal, and the court received evidence based on wiretaps that prosecutors alleged showed that the then President, Jonathan, was directly involved.

“In light of these allegations in a UK court, the role of the senior Nigerian officials involved in this deal, including Goodluck Jonathan, must now be fully investigated,” a Nigerian anti-corruption campaigner, Dotun Oloko, was quoted as saying.

Source: The Punch

TRADE Union, Others Challenge FG Over Subsidy, Oil Price Hike

The Federal Government should not effect the proposed increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, without reaching an agreement with the organised labour, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria has warned.

However, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry described the proposed withdrawal of subsidy on petrol as a welcome development.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, had on Monday said the country would need to revert to the old pump price of N97 per litre of petrol next year.

Kachikwu explained that the Federal Government was considering a reversal to N97 per litre in order to ensure that it would no longer fund the subsidy scheme, adding that the issue of total subsidy removal would come after the nation had been able to convince itself that the reversal to N97 would still be costing the government extra funds.

The Chairman, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, Rivers State, Mr. Chika Onuegbu, said in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Tuesday that the government should engage the organised labour before removing subsidy on the product and reverting to the old pump price.

He said, “Whatever the government wants to do, I expect that it should engage the organised labour represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress and not to take a unilateral action. There should be an agreement between both parties.

“Every country in the world has one form of subsidy or the other. So, the issue is not about subsidy, but how it is managed and the costs and benefits of the subsidy regime to the country. In the case of Nigeria, it is estimated that fuel subsidy costs between 20 per cent and 30 per cent of the budget. This figure is actually huge, especially considering the infrastructural deficit in the country.”

Onuegbu, however, said a good percentage of the figure was perceived as cost of corruption in the subsidy management process, adding that this was partly the reason why it was difficult to convince the unions and the ordinary people that the solution to the conundrum was the removal of subsidy.

“Labour leaders and their civil society partners believe that the government should remove the corruption in the fuel subsidy scheme and not the subsidy itself. To us, the issue of subsidy removal is more about transferring the burden of the payment for the corruption in the subsidy scheme from the government to the ordinary people,” he said.

The Director-General, LCCI, Mr. Muda Yusuf, who stressed the need for the government to remove fuel subsidy, said, “Our position is that the government should allow the private sector to drive that sector. The subsidy regime has been a major hindrance to investment in the downstream sector.

“Look at fuel queues and look at how the black market is overrunning the whole place. Outside Lagos, in the hinterland, look at how much people are paying, apart from the agony and suffering. Oil price is already below $40 per barrel; so, it is even likely that petrol could sell far less than that N97 by the time the government frees the market and we have competition.”

The LCCI DG stated that the subsidy regime had created more problems for Nigerians and investors in the downstream petroleum sector.

“For us, it is a welcome development that the government should totally exit from that area and just play a regulatory role to make sure that the quality of products are okay, to make sure that there is a level playing field, and to make sure that there is a truly competitive environment. That way, we will have sanity back in the sector,” Yusuf said.

Why Ex-NSA Dansuki Can’t Be Released On Bail-FG

The Federal Government yesterday clarified its position in the ongoing trial of former National Security Adviser (NSA) Mohammed Sambo Dasuki before the High court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

It said the ex-NSA was being tried because he was involved in various activities that bordered on economic sabotage, compromise of the nation’s security and endangering the lives of Nigerian soldiers involved in the anti-terrorism fight with members of the Boko Haram sect.

The government said investigation by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives revealed that Dasuki allegedly diverted huge funds meant for the nation’s security, with which he allegedly procured properties in foreign cities, such as Dubai and London.

It warned against granting bail to Dasuki on the grounds that he could be attacked by relatives of ill-equipped soldiers, who died in the anti-terror war as a result of Dasuki’s alleged diversion of funds meant for the purchase of arms and ammunition for the military.

It said investigation had been intensified to trace his assets in other foreign countries and ascertain where the yet to be located stolen funds are being hidden outside the country.

The government’s position is contained in a counter affidavit filed by the EFCC against Dasuki’s bail application. The affidavit was deposed to by an operative with the EFCC, Hassan Saidu, who said he was part of the team investigating Dasuki.

“The offences being alleged against the defendant/applicant border on economic sabotage that strikes at the very foundation of Nigeria’s wellbeing and existence.

“The security of the Nigerian nation was compromised and the lives of innocent Nigerian soldiers in the battlefront against terrorists were endangered on account of diversion of funds meant for the security of the nation by the applicant herein.

“It is in the interest of justice to put the applicant in protective custody so as to protect him from a possible attack by the relatives of the innocent soldiers who lost their lives due to lack of adequate equipment and facilities caused by the diversion of the funds meant for that purpose.

“Apart from the cases that are pending against the applicant, he is also being investigated in respect of other criminal allegations. The applicant acquired a large volume of assets with the proceeds of crimes and my team is currently tracing the assets and, if released on bail, the applicant will interfere with the asset tracing activities.

“The applicant transferred huge sums of monies to various companies, whose identifies we are still trying to trace. And, if released on bail, the applicant will interfere and frustrate our investigation. Our investigation also revealed that the applicant transferred large sums of monies outside Nigeria and he acquired several assets in Dubai and London with these funds.

“The prosecution is prepared to prove its case within the shortest possible time if the application is refused and the court orders accelerated hearing,” Saidu said.

The lead prosecution lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), arguing the counter affidavit yesterday, urged the court to refuse the bail applications by Dasuki and two others arraigned with him on Monday on a 19-count charge of criminal breach of public trust and diversion of public funds. They are ex-Finance and Administration Director in the office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu and former Executive Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba-Kusa.

Jacobs faulted the argument by Dasuki’s lawyer, Ahmed Raji (SAN), that a Federal High Court, before which another case was pending against his client, had ruled that the offences are bailable. He contended that both cases were distinguishable.

‘‘Money laundering is a secondary offence and not a primary offence. But the charges before My Lord here are primary offences. My learned friend didn’t tell My Lord whether his client was enjoying the bail granted him by the other court before he was transferred to us (EFCC). Every money laundering case has a predicate offence.’’

Jacobs argued that presumption of innocence is not a sufficient ground for the accused persons to be granted bail. He noted that the status of the first defendant would intimidate the prosecution witnesses who had worked under him.

‘‘They are not entitled to bail because they may jump bail. I recognise that the granting or refusal of bail is at the discretion of the court, but if they will interfere with investigation of other cases that will be instituted against them, you can refuse them bail. If bail application is filed, it is not automatic that it must be granted,’’ Jacobs said.

On Raji’s argument that the charges did not indicate that the alleged money was for procurement of arms, Jacobs said the proof of evidence showed the purposes for which the money was meant, which was for the purchase of security equipment.

Moving his client’s bail application earlier, Raji urged the court to allow Dasuki on bail pending the conclusion of his trial.

He argued that under the Constitution, an accused is presumed innocent, no matter the gravity of the charge before the court. Also, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 has made bail possible in all cases.’’

Raji urged the court to discountenance Jacobs’ argument, particularly in relation to his claim that the former NSA would interfere with further investigation and witnesses in the current case.

He urged the court to seriously consider the ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja which had earlier granted Dasuki bail in another case.

“It will amount to internal inconsistency. I urge you, My Lord,  to grant the first defendant bail on very liberal terms, even if you are not moved by the ruling by your brother at the Federal High Court.’’

Justice Baba-Yusuf cut in, telling Raji that the case before him and the one in which the first defendant is standing trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja are different.

‘‘Move the circumstances on which the bail should be granted and that is what will impress me,” Justice Baba-Yusuf said.

Salisu’s lawyer, A.U. Mustapha, argued in a similar manner, noting that his client has served the country meritoriously for 29 years.

“He is a responsible citizen of this country and he is ready to defend himself. He needs his liberty and unfettered access to his lawyer. He also needs to consult his books. So, he needs his freedom to be able to do all this,’’ he said.

Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf adjourned till Friday for ruling on the bail application. He directed that the defendants be further remanded in the custody of the EFCC.