Posted by From BASHIR UMAR, JAMES OJO and ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, Abuja on
Convicted businessman, Chief Emmanuel Nwude, has petitioned the Federal Government, alleging fraud in the sale of assets meant to offset part of the money he was ordered to refund by the court.
Convicted businessman, Chief Emmanuel Nwude, has petitioned the Federal Government, alleging fraud in the sale of assets meant to offset part of the money he was ordered to refund by the court.
The court had asked Nwude, convicted for advance fee-fraud (419) to refund $120 million being proceeds of the crime investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
By this, Nwude was to forfeit his vast assets which included choice property in various parts of the country including Abuja and Lagos.
But the convict, released from jail last year, has cried out against the $80 million declared by the EFCC as proceeds from the sale of the assets, claiming it was a far cry from the actual value of the property.
In the petition forwarded to President Umaru Yar'Adua and the Attorney General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa, Nwude alleged that the monies realized from the sale of his assets were under-declared, stressing that records of the sales showed that a sum of $85.2 million should have been netted from the sale.
Besides, he alleged that the assets were grossly under-valued and sold for paltry sums, which made it difficult for him to finish settling the $120 million judgment debt in question.
An international non governmental organisation, the Coalition Against International Intimidation, which briefed newsmen on the petitions, copies of which it said were forwarded to its office in Nigeria, urged that the claims of the businessman should be investigated by government.
The group which has taken up the fight, is calling for the probe of how the multi-billion naira assets were sold.
The NGO told newsmen in Abuja that the EFCC agents, saddled with the responsibilities of selling the assets should be probed for allegedly deviating from the letters of the agreement reached with the businessman, and should therefore be stopped from further handling of the assets forthwith.
Chairman of the Coalition, Augustine Ekhosu said his body's involvement in the issue was borne out of the belief that EFCC, which is an anti-corruption agency, should not fall victim of international intimidation, or be deployed for corrupt enrichment.
The coalition demanded a full probe and invitation of the Brazilians said to have been swindled to come and explain their intention before falling into the trick of their local partners, saying what was good for the goose was also good for the gander.
Except this is done, the coalition maintained, the fight against corruption and fraud would be one-sided and would not be effective.
The CJII alleged that going by the prevailing values of some of the property and assets already sold, Chief Nwude should have almost finished settling the $120 million.
The NGO also described as ridiculous, the claim that an eight-floor property on Allen Avenue in Lagos belonging to Chief Nwude was allocated to a certain buyer at a give away cost of N165million, when the land alone could go for the entire amount declared, going by the prevailing price in the highbrow part of Lagos.
In the petitions signed by Okey Okoye and Associates, Chief Nwude lamented that all his properties sold should have made up to the amount agreed in court to be refunded in the fraud case.
In some instances, Chief Nwude claimed, some of the assets in question were sold to the lowest bidders despite the fact he had been approached by some higher bidders through his counsels.
He cited the Russel Centre in Abuja as a case in point. According to him, 'the centre was agreed to be sold to the present occupier, Obat Petroleum for N3.2 billion, only for the agents to claim that it went for N2.3 billion. These are verifiable facts, I am not making a wild goose allegation, it can be ascertained from those who bought it."
Besides, Chief Nwude in the petition challenged the agents to prove him wrong over the fact that over $80 million had already been realised before the unrestrained mass sale of his assets.
The coalition alleged that raw and naked power was being unleashed on Nwude as cash and other valuables allegedly recovered from his family house in Ikoyi, were never declared.
The group, which said it had been monitoring the development over time, explained that Chief Nwude's lawyers were supposed to be aware and be present during any transaction involving the sale of any of his assets, as contained in the settlement/judgement agreement but that the EFCC agents had not for once involved them in any of the deals.
'While we are not accusing the EFCC of being part of this orchestrated plot to divert monies realised in the various sales, we also believe that the EFCC should ask questions arising from the complaints of the victim. The Presidency and the National Assembly should invite for fact-finding the lawyers of the buyers, including a prominent SAN on how the sales were sealed.
'Ordinarily as in settlement agreement, he should be the one supplying information concerning the properties but he has been completely cut off by intimidation and harrassment, this is an issue government must investigate thoroughly for justice to be seen to have been done."