‘Ex-Nigeria President’s Aide Hides $31.4million into Skye Bank Account No. 2110002207 for Patience Jonathan’-EFCC
…Funds Proceed of Unlawful Act punishable under Section 15(3) Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012
*Former Special Assistant to former President Jonathan, Waripamo Dudafa heads Fraud
*Money laundering suspects are: Skye Bank staff, Demola Bolodeoku and Amajuoyi Azubuike Briggs, a lawyer
* ‘We Filed 17 Count Charge of Fraud marked FHC/337C/16 against them for Concealing $31,436,400 between November 13, 2013 and May 28, 2015’
*Why Fraud Case is still before Justice Abdulazeez Anka of the Federal High Court in Lagos
BY BAYOWA ILUPEJU/CRIME REPORTER, ABUJA
CERTAINLY, PATIENCE Jonathan, former Nigeria’s First Lady and wife to the then President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is not in any way in a happy mood. She is furious. She is angry that Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is hell-bent in prosecuting her and eventually sending her to ‘jail’ if found guilty of money laundering charges for allegedly masterminding an aide of the erstwhile ex-president for defrauding Nigeria to the tune of $31.4million.
As such, EFCC slammed 17 count charge against Waripamo-Owei Emmanuel Dudafa, an erstwhile Special Assistant to former President Jonathan, two others and five companies for engaging in $31.4 million fraud.
The anti-graft agency, in a 17-count charge marked FHC/337C/16, alleged that all the accused persons had, between November 13, 2013 and May 28, 2015, conspired among themselves to conceal the total sum of $31,436,400 which they knew formed part of the proceed of an unlawful act, through various banks in Nigeria. They were alleged to have committed the fraud with one Sombre Omeibi, now at large.
The offences were said to be contrary to Section 18(a) and 15(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012, and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act. EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, sought for an adjournment to enable the commission serve the charge on the other accused persons.
The case is before Justice Abdulazeez Anka of the Federal High Court in Lagos. Charged alongside Dudafa were a lawyer, Amajuoyi Azubuike Briggs and Demola Bolodeoku. The companies allegedly involved are: Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited, Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited, Avalon Global Property Development Company Ltd and Globus Integrated Services Ltd.
Oyedepo further sought for a court order to effect the service of the charge on Dudafa, whom he said rejected service at prison custody. He is also seeking a court order to enable the commission serve the second accused person, Briggs, a lawyer, whom he said was the secretary to the companies.
Oyedepo alleged that it was Briggs that presided over all the alleged fraudulent transactions made by the companies named in the fraud. His words: “The first defendant is a private individual and under Section 123 of ACJA, we are to serve him personally. We went to prison on August 12, to serve him the charge, but he declined service. We have charged him in a related case before Justice Idris, though he was granted bail, but an issue cropped up.
“I also need a court order to effect service on the fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth defendants. The companies were opportuned to know who are their directors. In the course of investigation, we came to know that the chambers of the second defendant incorporated those companies and in his wisdom, he inserted addresses that are not available.
However, lawyer to the second defendant, T. J. Onyeieke, urged the court to discountenance the submissions of the EFCC lawyer on the ground that his client is not a director in any of the companies mentioned in the charge.
He further informed the court that if the prosecution wanted to serve the companies’ charge on the second defendant, such should be done through a proper application, not by oral application. He, therefore, urged the court to refuse the prosecution’s application.
Sources in the EFCC confirmed that it was after a detailed investigation was done and this $31.4million was transferred by Waripamo into Patience Skye Bank Account that the anti-graft agency placed ‘No Debit/Freezing Order’ on the illegal funds.
Not permitted to speak to the press, the EFCC source said: “We have been tracking, monitoring and following the movement of this $31.4million allegedly stolen from Nigeria by Waripamo, in connection with two other and five companies. But we were all shocked to realise how the funds were re-wired into the Skye Bank Account of former Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience. Quickly, we issued a No Debit/Freezing Order”.
However, Justice Anka, while granting the prosecution’s application on service of the charge on Dudafa in prison custody, adjourned ruling on the service of the charge on the companies named in the fraud, on the second accused person. Some of the counts in the charge read: “That you, Waripamo-Owei Emmanuel Dudafa, Amajuoyi Azubuike Briggs, Demola Bolodeoku, Sompre Omiebi (still at large), Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited, Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited, Avalon Global Property Development Company Ltd and Globus Integrated Services Ltd, on or about the 13th day of November, 2013 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: concealing the total sum of $15,591,700 which sum you reasonably ought to have known form part of the proceeds of an unlawful act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3)of the same Act” “That you,
Waripamo Owei Emmanuel Dudafa, Amajuoyi Azubuike Briggs, Demola Bolodeoku, Sompre Omiebi (still at large) and Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited, between 14th and 19th day of November 2013, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, indirectly concealed the total sum of $1,094,500 through account no: 2110002207 domiciled in Skye Bank Plc. which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful Act.
“That you, Waripamo- Owei Emmanuel Dudafa, Amajuoyi Azubuike Briggs, Demola Bolodeoku, Sompre Omiebi (still at large) and Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited, between 21st day of January, 2014 and 19th day of November, 2014 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, indirectly concealed the total sum of $1,200,000 through account no: 2110002207 domiciled in Skye bank Plc. which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful Act to wit.”
