I met Magu in Dubai but not for money laundering – Pastor Omale

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Pastor Emmanuel Omale

By Michael Adeshina

Pastor Emmanuel Omale has denied allegations that he conspired with the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, to launder funds abroad.

Omale, who is also the General Overseer of Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministries International, Abuja, made the denial in a pre-litigation letter addressed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.

NAN had on Saturday published a story citing a report issued by a Presidential panel set up to investigate the EFCC between 2015 and 2020.

The report accused Magu of being unable to account for the interest generated from cash recoveries of over N500bn.

The report also accused Magu of buying a property in Dubai worth N573m through the Omale.

However, in the letter which was signed by his lawyer, Chief Gordy Uche (SAN), Omale said he indeed met Magu in Dubai earlier in the year but not for illegal activity.

Omale said he only prayed with the suspended EFCC boss who had traveled to Dubai for medical reasons.

The letter read in part, “We, however, wish to make the following clarifications to put the public records straight: That our client is the General Overseer of an Inter-denominational/Multi-religious Prayer Ministry.

“That our client, only visited Mr. Ibrahim Magu in a hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, sometime in March 2020.

“That our client never laundered any funds whatsoever for Mr. Ibrahim Magu or for anybody whatsoever. Our client does not own any foreign bank account anywhere in the world.

“That there are no funds whatsoever traceable from Mr. Ibrahim Magu to our client’s bank accounts whatsoever neither has our client received any funds whatsoever from Mr. Ibrahim Magu. Our client has never received any funds whatsoever from anybody on behalf of Mr. Ibrahim Magu.

“That our client does not own any property in Dubai. His name was never used to purchase any property whatsoever in Dubai, United Arab Emirates or anywhere else in any part of the world, neither has he purchased any property nor properties for Mr. Ibrahim Magu in any part of the world whatsoever.”

Omale, however, asked the Federal Government-owned news agency to retract the publication or a libel suit of N1bn would be instituted against the agency.

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