The discovery of money laundering activities and homes in Maryland, USA amongst Nigerian government officials is reaching epidemic proportions.
Today former Inspector General of police Tafa Balogun has been re-arrested for money laundering following the discovery of more laundered money and remanded in custody until the 7th of November. The IG is facing no less than 149 counts of money laundering. According to today’s Vanguard he is willing to trade off some or all of his illegal gained monies in exchange for his freedom. The paper quotes "an impeccable source from the EFCC (the body authorised to deal with cases of corruption) said
“You know, if an accused person pleads guilty to the charge against him without taking the prosecution through the rigour of trial, what happens is that such person is sentenced to a minimal jail term. It is the practice all over the world. It is not a special arrangement of EFCC. It is an international practice.
“If he is willing to surrender all his ill-gotten wealth and assets already traced to him, if he is willing to enter a plea of guilt to the charges against him, and above all, if he is willing to serve a minimal jail term, then there will be a deal.
Frankly this stinks. Yes it may well be that if an accused pleads guilty he may receive some leniency but how much is up to the courts and in this instance no deal should be made with him for returning money that he has stolen. If an example is to be set to others in more junior ranks then as the highest police official in the country no way should he receive the minimum prison term. That in itself is just another form of corruption.
Last Tuesday Nigerian journalist, Owei Kobina Sikpi of the Port Harcourt Weekly Star was arrested by State Security Service and detained without charge. The arrest was believed to be in connection with a report in the paper alleging that Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili laundered money through the purchase of an airplane for his trips.
Three weeks ago another Niger Delta governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa State was arrested in London for money laundering after £1,000,000 was found in his house in London. There are also questions as to how be got the money to buy the house in London and more recently it has been discovered that he possibly also owns a house in Maryland, US worth some $900,000
Alamieyeseigha was, however, also yesterday linked to a questionable house acquisition in the United States. … The Bayelsa State governor’s house is located on 504 Pleasant Drive, Rockville, Maryland. It is valued at $900,000.00.
The house, according to reports, was bought in the name of a company, Solomon & Peters Ltd., on January 16, 2003. The governor’s middle names are Solomon and Peters. Solomon & Peters Ltd owns Alamieyeseigha’s house on Edgeware Road, London. It is registered in the British Virgin Island and is managed by a British citizen, Dein Jones.
In addition to his home in Maryland, Elendu Reports that his daughter recently graduated from univeristy also had a home in the US, in California which she just sold for an incredible $1,700,000. Alamieyeseigha’s wife, son, daughter and cousin are all under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria.
Other Nigerian goverment officials with houses in Potomac are Finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also has a house in Potomac, Maryland and Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
What is most sickening about the two Niger Delta governors particularly in this month in which we remember Ken Saro-Wiwa, is the arrogant way they and their supporters behave such as sending out SSS bullies to harass and arrest journalist doing their job in a country that professes to be democratic with a free press. If Peter Odili feels he has been slandered then he should go through the courts and sue the newspaper. Alamieyeseigha has now been released on bail awaiting trial in London. Rather than support him without reservation, his supporters should be encouraging him to show some degree of humility and resign from his job. If he is found innocent of all charges then he could be re-re-instated but his present position is untenable. They themselves have shown an unwillingness to seek the truth in the interest of those who they claim to represent, the poor and dispossessed peoples of Bayelsa State. There are just too many unanswered questions, too much money has gone astray, too much money has been misappropriated in Bayelsa State. The Southern Ijaw Coalition are right in saying:
in the light of the travails of the governor, the duo of Oronto Douglas of Environmental Rights Arrangement (ERA), Chicoco Movement, Constitutional Conference 2005 and Prof Kimse Okoko, former Marxist and President of Ijaw National Congress both supposed proponents for RESOURCE CONTROL have seen no wrong in the looting of Bayelsa State by D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha and family which has resulted in the arrest and trial of the latter in London."
Tags: Nigeria Niger Delta
The discovery of money laundering activities and homes in Maryland, USA amongst Nigerian government officials is reaching epidemic proportions.
Today former Inspector General of police Tafa Balogun has been re-arrested for money laundering following the discovery of more laundered money and remanded in custody until the 7th of November. The IG is facing no less than 149 counts of money laundering. According to today's Vanguard he is willing to trade off some or all of his illegal gained monies in exchange for his freedom. The paper quotes "an impeccable source from the EFCC (the body authorised to deal with cases of corruption) said“You know, if an accused person pleads guilty to the charge against him without taking the prosecution through the rigour of trial, what happens is that such person is sentenced to a minimal jail term. It is the practice all over the world. It is not a special arrangement of EFCC. It is an international practice.
“If he is willing to surrender all his ill-gotten wealth and assets already traced to him, if he is willing to enter a plea of guilt to the charges against him, and above all, if he is willing to serve a minimal jail term, then there will be a deal.Frankly this stinks. Yes it may well be that if an accused pleads guilty he may receive some leniency but how much is up to the courts and in this instance no deal should be made with him for returning money that he has stolen. If an example is to be set to others in more junior ranks then as the highest police official in the country no way should he receive the minimum prison term. That in itself is just another form of corruption.
Last Tuesday Nigerian journalist, Owei Kobina Sikpi of the Port Harcourt Weekly Star was arrested by State Security Service and detained without charge. The arrest was believed to be in connection with a report in the paper alleging that Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili laundered money through the purchase of an airplane for his trips.
Three weeks ago another Niger Delta governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa State was arrested in London for money laundering after £1,000,000 was found in his house in London. There are also questions as to how be got the money to buy the house in London and more recently it has been discovered that he possibly also owns a house in Maryland, US worth some $900,000Alamieyeseigha was, however, also yesterday linked to a questionable house acquisition in the United States. ... The Bayelsa State governor's house is located on 504 Pleasant Drive, Rockville, Maryland. It is valued at $900,000.00.
The house, according to reports, was bought in the name of a company, Solomon & Peters Ltd., on January 16, 2003. The governor's middle names are Solomon and Peters. Solomon & Peters Ltd owns Alamieyeseigha's house on Edgeware Road, London. It is registered in the British Virgin Island and is managed by a British citizen, Dein Jones.In addition to his home in Maryland, Elendu Reports that his daughter recently graduated from univeristy also had a home in the US, in California which she just sold for an incredible $1,700,000. Alamieyeseigha's wife, son, daughter and cousin are all under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria.
Other Nigerian goverment officials with houses in Potomac are Finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also has a house in Potomac, Maryland and Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
What is most sickening about the two Niger Delta governors particularly in this month in which we remember Ken Saro-Wiwa, is the arrogant way they and their supporters behave such as sending out SSS bullies to harass and arrest journalist doing their job in a country that professes to be democratic with a free press. If Peter Odili feels he has been slandered then he should go through the courts and sue the newspaper. Alamieyeseigha has now been released on bail awaiting trial in London. Rather than support him without reservation, his supporters should be encouraging him to show some degree of humility and resign from his job. If he is found innocent of all charges then he could be re-re-instated but his present position is untenable. They themselves have shown an unwillingness to seek the truth in the interest of those who they claim to represent, the poor and dispossessed peoples of Bayelsa State. There are just too many unanswered questions, too much money has gone astray, too much money has been misappropriated in Bayelsa State. The Southern Ijaw Coalition are right in saying: in the light of the travails of the governor, the duo of Oronto Douglas of Environmental Rights Arrangement (ERA), Chicoco Movement, Constitutional Conference 2005 and Prof Kimse Okoko, former Marxist and President of Ijaw National Congress both supposed proponents for RESOURCE CONTROL have seen no wrong in the looting of Bayelsa State by D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha and family which has resulted in the arrest and trial of the latter in London."
Tags: Nigeria Niger Delta
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I just wanted to remind readers of this piece that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala used to work abroad and has a husband there – so there’s no reason for anyone to believe that her house abroad is linked to ill-gotten gains from her work as finance minister.
Thanks for highlighting this point. I am not implying that Okonjo-Iweala had used corrupt money to buy her house in Maryland.