Police Charge Leader for multi-Billion Naira Fraud! -- If Bukola Saraki was not a politician, what do you, after reading the below, think he would most certainly BE? ---- THE CHARGE The police had, in a letter dated February 19, 2014, with reference no: CR.3000/X/SFU/ADM/BFC/Vol.17/ 2014, invited Saraki to the Abuja Special Fraud Unit. In the suit, the IGP alleged Saraki of siphoning hard-earned Kwara allocations running into several billions of Naira into private accounts. It will be recalled that E-kwara had exclusively reported that the Police had on 19th February, 2014 invited Saraki in connection with cases of “conspiracy and money laundering”. The police letter is referenced CR.3000/X/SFU/ADM/BFC/Vol.17/2014. Rather than honour the invitation, the former governor rushed to the Federal High Court praying it to stop the Police from arresting or prosecuting him in relation to the matter. In an application filed on the 25th February, 2014 and registered with the Federal High Court Abuja as FHC/ABJ/05/152/2014, Saraki sought, among other things, an order of the court “quashing the purported invitation letter dated 19th February 2014 with reference no: CR.3000/X/SFU/ADM/BFC/Vol.17/2014, which emanated from the 1st and 2nd respondents’ (the inspector general of police and the head of SFU ‘D’ Department, Force CID) agents as it affects the applicant (Saraki)”. He is also seeking an order of “perpetual injunction restraining the respondents, their agents, officers, jointly, severally either by themselves, privies, servants, however so-called from intimidating, threatening to arrest or arresting the applicant as well as other members of the applicant’s family, his wife, associates namely Mr Toyin Pinhero, Kennedy Izuagbe, Mr. Sunday Iboroh, Peter Osagiede, Abdul Adams and Austin Ikpi….” The action was filed by Magaji SAN on behalf of Saraki. In a counter affidavit dated 12th March, 2014 the Police urged the court to dismiss Saraki’s application for enforcement of fundamental rights, insisting that the Police — as a creation of the law — has every right to call in anyone for questioning. Police insisted that it has hard facts on how several millions of foreign currencies were wired into Saraki’s domiciliary and Nigerian Naira accounts. The police also accused Saraki of using fictitious names to launder several million of dollars into the accounts of some companies owned by him. “There are several unusual cash inflows into the dollar domiciliary account of Carlislie Properties and Investment Ltd by Polybags Industry (Nig) Ltd.”, according to the Police’s affidavit. It added that PolyBags industry made payments of between US$4,500 and US$10,000 eight separate times on 24th August, 2010 amounting to $78,000. Curiously, the Police said, “Polybags Industry Nigeria Limited has denied ever making such payments,” raising suspicion that the name Polybag was probably used as a fictitious name to launder the money. The Police added that different individuals linked to Saraki, including one Abdul Adama, lodged unusually huge sums of money into his naira and dollar accounts. One of such accounts is identified as 003497479. It listed some of the transactions to include: “On the 10th of May 2009, 18 separate lodgements of $10,000 were made by the said Abdul Adama, who also used the fictitious name of Garba Dare to make some of their lodgements the same date! It totalled US$180,000.00 in one day! “There was also an unusual single inflow on 12th February, 2010 of the sum of $120,000 which was immediately converted to pound sterling and washed overseas through applicant (Saraki’s) Pound Sterling Account. “There was unusual single cash inflow on 15th February, 2010 of the sum of $US1,000,000.00 in one day! Same was also converted to pound sterling and wired overseas through British Pound Sterling account No. 441/441953/3/1/0. “The converted dollars to pounds sterling ended up in the purchase of a real property in the United Kingdom”. Police also said there are “so many other unusual heavy inflows into the applicant (Saraki)’s account that were usually washed overseas to fund applicant’s American Express Card No. 374588216 836009. “All these lodgements made in favour of applicants have necessitated his invitation”, the affidavit added. All the money laundering were done through the defunct Intercontinental Bank, which collapse is partly being blamed on Saraki’s clandestine takeover of the institution through his friend and suspended CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Insisting that “no criminal wants to be exposed” and that (Saraki) is “trying frantically to stop the Police from investigating him”, the Police urged the court to disregard Saraki’s application for enforcement of fundamental human rights. Justice Muhammed of Court 7 (Abuja) will hear the matter tomorrow, Tuesday, 8th April 2014.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 18:55:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015