Posted by The Associated Press on
Anti-graft police said Sunday they had cleared the head of a Nigerian group supporting U.S. presidential contender Barack Obama of any wrongdoing.
LAGOS, Nigeria: Anti-graft police said Sunday they had cleared the head of a Nigerian group supporting U.S. presidential contender Barack Obama of any wrongdoing.
Femi Babafemi, a spokesman for Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, says the head of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, who hosted a glitzy fundraiser in hopes of supporting Obama's bid, didn't break any Nigerian laws with her party.
The agency directed Ndi Okereke-Onyuike to return about US$630,000 (?425,000) she gathered at the Aug. 12 Lagos event to its attendees and said she should steer clear of similar activities in the future. The agency did not explain why Okereke-Onyuike was ordered to return the money if she had not violated any laws
A complaint lodged against Okereke-Onyuike alleged that she had violated Nigerian and U.S. electoral regulations with her fundraiser, which her group "Africans for Obama 08," had said would be used to inform Africans about the Democratic nominee's historic presidential bid.
Okereke-Onyuike, a prominent businesswoman who was questioned by the agency for days in recent weeks, said she had acted as a private individual and without any connection to the campaign for Obama. He enjoys great support in Africa, where his father lived and was born.
The anti-graft agency spokesman said Okereke-Onyuike' efforts hadn't broken any Nigerian laws and that his agency considered the matter closed.