Posted by From Collins Edomaruse in Abuja on
Following the dramatic manner in which Bayelsa State Governor, Chief DSP Alamieye-seigha, last weekend jumped bail in London where he was standing trial on charges of money laundering, the United Kingdom authorities have launched a full security inquiry to ascertain whether there were systems failure.
Following the dramatic manner in which Bayelsa State Governor, Chief DSP Alamieye-seigha, last weekend jumped bail in London where he was standing trial on charges of money laundering, the United Kingdom authorities have launched a full security inquiry to ascertain whether there were systems failure.
This comes as Nigerian businessman and friend of the embattled Governor, Mr. Terry Waya, was on Wednesday night arrested by officers of the Metropolitan Police, London over allegations bordering on money laundering.
On Alamieyeseigha, diplomatic sources told THISDAY yesterday that the British government was not bothered that an alleged criminal jumped bail but was worried that he might have escaped undetected through the airports where there were information on him.
According to sources, all CCTV cameras are now being processed with a view to unravel how the governor moved out of the country undetected. "Ordinarily, a man on bail should not be under 24 hours surveillance but it would be a big blow if he passed through our airports because information on him should have given him out", said an official of the British government who spoke with THISDAY from London.
The concern of the UK authorities is that if indeed Alamieyeseigha passed through either Heathrow or Gatwick Airports dressed like a woman and actually boarded a British Airways flight, as being speculated, then that would mean a serious security breach and a blow to the fight against terrorism.
On Wednesday, the British High Commission in Abuja issued a statement on Alamieyeseigha which reads: "The Metropolitan Police Service has confirmed to the High Commission that Governor Alamieyeseigha is in breach of the bail conditions set by Southwark Crown Court in the United Kingdom, which include the requirement to report daily to Paddington Green Police Station in London.
"The Governor failed to report to the police station on Friday 18 November and on subsequent days. The Metropolitan Police Service retain the passport seized from Governor Alamieyeseigha at the time of his arrest and retained as a condition of his bail.
"The Bail securities and sureties totaling 1.25 million pounds sterling remain in place and assets valued at approximately 10 million pounds are currently restrained by order of the High Court in London.
"The courts in the UK normally grant bail in cases where a person has been charged but is not deemed to be a threat to public order, and those bailed are not put under 24 hour surveillance.
"When bail conditions are breached, any securities and sureties in place are liable to be declared forfeited. The Metropolitan Police will also seek an arrest warrant in respect of Governor Alamieyeseigha at Bow Street Magistrates Court.
"We deplore the fact that Governor Alamieyeseigha chose to break his bail conditions rather than face a court of law in the United Kingdom. But anyone tempted to launder the proceeds of corruption in the UK should be aware that this will not deter the UK authorities from conducting investigations or from working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other Nigerian law enforcement agencies. The UK Government is staunchly committed to the fight against financial crime in Nigeria and elsewhere."
In a related development, however, the London Metropolitan Police last night confirmed the arrest and release of Waya over money laundering charges.
When THISDAY spoke with the department yesterday, officials were not willing to comment, preferring to send a terse email that read: "Officers from Serious Crime Directorate arrested a man aged 44 on 23/11 at his home address in North London in a money laundering inquiry. He has been bailed to return on a date in June 2006."
Curiously, Waya had told THISDAY earlier last night that he was not at anytime arrested while stating that he was merely asked some questions two weeks ago over what he described as 'routine bank matters'.
It was, however, gathered that Waya may have fallen to the trap of a security sting operation, having been invited to his bank by the management over some lodgments without having any inkling that security men were on his trail.
But yesterday, he told THISDAY: "Two weeks ago, police spoke with me about a cheque transfer. It is a normal thing. They asked me for the source of the money and I explained to them. There is nothing to it.
"I have not been invited by the police Met. You will recall that during the bail bid, I was interviewed by the police and my account was cleared. They did not arrest me that time."
Waya said his bank complained that the Alamieyeseigha bail issue on which he was involved became a media affair. "You can call any Magistrate Court to ask whether they have any case with Terry Waya in their record. I have all my travel documents."
THISDAY investigations however revealed that Waya might have been questioned over the source of the £250,000 hurriedly transferred into his account on the eve of the first attempt to bail Alamieyeseigha.
Sources disclosed that while Waya had a balance of £250,000 in the account prior to the date, the manner in which the additional £250,000 came in has become a subject of security investigation with the escape of Alamieyesegha, for whom he attempted to stand surety at the Crown Court in London, where the Governor was granted the bail which he jumped.
Waya shot to limelight during the Alamieyeseigha saga when he announced that he was prepared to provide surety and security to meet the bail bond required by the court to ensure the governor's freedom.
He thereafter claimed in media interviews and in paid advertisement in some newspapers that he "deposited a cash sum of five hundred thousand pounds (£500,000) bail bond as part of the conditions to secure the release from prison of Chief D. S. P Alamieyeseigha, the governor of Bayelsa State."
In the advertisement, Waya had also claimed that since he was mentioned in connection with the bail matter, he had "received a few calls of threats from government apologists, fortune seekers and their agents of oppression trying to intimidate, witch-hunt and blackmail me into abandoning a friend of mine in his hour of need."
He also said that if the governor was a proponent of a "well known agenda propagated by this evil and oppressive Anti-Christ, he would have done no wrong..."
But denying the claim, an aide of the governor said Waya "did not pay for the governor's bail as he recently claimed," stressing that the false claims were capable of dampening the moral of the real people who put up the money for the bail.
According to the aide, "the governor is quite disturbed by the claims of Mr. Waya. Even if it were true that he put up the money, and he did not, would he go about shouting on rooftops that this is what he has just done?"