TheNewsGuru

Tag: fraud

  • Alleged fraud: Hushpuppi arraigned, knows fate October 13

    Alleged fraud: Hushpuppi arraigned, knows fate October 13

    Nigerian Instagram celebrity Ramon Abbas popularly known as Hushpuppi has been arraigned in a court in California, United States, ahead of his trial on October 13.

    He pleaded not guilty to four counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering conspiracies, wire fraud, international money laundering, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.

    In June, the 37-year-old known for an extravagant lifestyle on social media was arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, by special operatives of the Emerati police and American Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    The FBI’s investigation, according to the affidavit, alleged Hushpuppi financed this extravagant lifestyle through crime.

    He is alleged to be the leader of a group that facilitates computer intrusion, business email compromise fraud, and money laundering.

    His targeted victims, majorly in the United States, had been duped of hundreds of millions of dollars, the FBI says.

  • MFM’s overseer, Olukoya speaks on link to seven fraudulent allegations in UK Church

    MFM’s overseer, Olukoya speaks on link to seven fraudulent allegations in UK Church

    The General Overseer of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Dr. Daniel Olukoya yesterday denied any link to fraudulent activities allegedly involving the London branch of the church.

    Olukoya, also, added that the seven allegations levelled against him and the MFM were without foundation, but intent to damage his reputation and destroy the global image of the church.

    He made these clarifications in a statement his media aide, Mr. Collins Edomaruse issued yesterday in response to the fraud allegations.

    The Charity Commission, an independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, had appointed an interim manager to manage Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries International (1100416), a north London-based charity, which exists to promote Christianity.

    The interim manager was saddled with the responsibility of reviewing the charity’s financial and governance processes, inspecting a number of the charity’s branches and their handling of serious incidents.

    In his statement, Olukoya said: “It has become pertinent for the purpose of clarity to respond to the false allegations being peddled against MFM and Olukoya in the social media particularly sponsored by SaharaReporters.”

    He denied that he falsely “claimed residence of the US city of Maryland. Nothing can be further from the truth. Olukoya is a public figure nationally and internationally. His domicile is therefore a fact of public knowledge.

    “The true position is that the pastor who wanted to register MFM in Maryland inserted Olukoya name without prior consultation with or knowledge of the G.O because he believed that Olukoya should be involved.

    “But after he consulted a lawyer and received advice that a person’s name cannot be on the incorporation documents unless he is resident in Maryland, that registration was put in abeyance and allowed to lapse.

    “The pastor is still alive and all the evidence is there for all to see at the Company Registry in Maryland,” the statement explained.

    The statement, also, faulted the allegation that Olukoya Illegally imported books into the United States and evaded payment of customs duties on those books.

    It said Olukoya’s books are sold on Amazon. It is foolhardy for anyone to suggest that he brought in his books to the US illegally when he can and has been doing so legally. This false allegation was pioneered by a former Pastor of MFM who tried to steal MFM Branch in Maryland.

    “He conceived this lie as his defence to a civil suit the church brought against him in the County Court in Maryland. This concocted lie could best be described as the wild thrashings of a drowning man intent on bringing everybody down with him.

  • Senate uncovers alleged multi-billion naira fraud in NTA, Star Times joint venture

    Senate uncovers alleged multi-billion naira fraud in NTA, Star Times joint venture

    The Senate on Friday uncovered an alleged multi-billion Naira fraud in the joint venture operations between, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and a Chinese Satellite Pay TV, StarTime.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that NTA entered a Joint Venture with StarTime in 2010 with a sharing ratio of 70-30 in favour of the Chinese company.

    The allegation came up when the Senate Joint Committee on Finance and National Planning scrutinized the spending and expenditure of the Nigerian Television Authority for 2021 with the details of the 2021-2023 MTEF & FSP documents.

    The Senate panel said it was stunned to discover that the multi-billion naira deal with StarTimes was not captured anywhere in the documents submitted to it as presented by the Director-General, Mallam Mohammed Yakubu.

    In response, Yakubu denied the allegation, stressing that NTA could not have blocked StarTimes as it was currently in a Joint Venture Agreement with the company.

    The DG’s statement prompted further questions from the Senate Panel on how much NTA had earned from the Joint Venture with StarTimes over the years.

    But even more, surprising to the Senate Panel was that the Joint Venture was not stated anywhere in the documents NTA submitted for the committee’s perusal.

    The suspicious Senate panel demanded to see records of what NTA generates from production, adverts and documentaries.

    It also asked that NTA should return on Monday with its debt profile that contains the names of its debtors, the date, amount incurred as well as the name of the officials that authorized it for publication.

  • Ex-Gov Ohakim, businesswoman in rough fight over fraud

    Ex-Gov Ohakim, businesswoman in rough fight over fraud

    Former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, last night debunked the claims leveled against him by a businesswoman, Mrs. Chinyere Amuchinwa.

    TheNewsGuru recalls that Amuchinwa in a petition dated July 20, 2020 and addressed to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu and the Department of State Services (DSS), had accused the former governor of swindling her of N500 million.

    However in a statement issued last night by his Political Advisor, Emmanuel Chukwu, the former Imo State governor described the claims as most ludicrous and laughable.

    Accusing the businesswoman of concealing the facts, the former governor dared her to reveal the nature of her enterprise and business address, if she has any.

    He noted that the businesswoman had filed a counter-petition against him as an after-thought to an uncompleted investigation of her conducts towards him, based on a petition he had filed against her upon which she was arrested on January 20, 2020, seven months before her petition.

    Stating that he was aware of her sponsors, the former governor criticized her claims that she supplied luxury goods worth N110million to him, wondering why she did not state the exact nature of the goods, evidence of request for the goods, acknowledgment receipt and the address of transaction.

    The statement read: “The allegations are, to say the least, most ludicrous and laughable. They all together constitute an elaborate and audacious scheme by Ms Amuchinwa to blackmail, extort and otherwise defame the person of Dr. Ohakim. In the THISDAY story, Ms Amuchinwa presented herself as ‘businesswoman’, but did not state the nature of her enterprise and her business address, if any. And to be sure, Ms Amuchinwa had filed this counter-petition as an afterthought to an ongoing investigation of her criminal conducts towards Dr Ohakim, based on a petition Dr. Ohakim had filed against her and upon which she was arrested as far back as 20th January, 2020, seven clear months before she was recruited to file her false petition. We are fully aware of her nefarious sponsors.

    “In purporting to have supplied luxury goods worth N110million to Dr. Ohakim, she did not state the exact nature of these goods, evidence of request for the goods, acknowledgment receipt and the address of transaction. And why would her fake invoices be in foreign currency, especially in Euros when she does not have any shop in Europe?

    “Third, in claiming to have made N500million payment to Dr Ohakim for purchase of land, she dishonestly left out whether such was made through the banking system. As of a fact, if such payment ever existed, it is very easy to track money trail through the banking system. Did she make the payment in cash, foreign currency or how really? Even at that, N500million is certainly a huge sum; so, she certainly would require a large bullion van making multiple trips to convey such quantum cash.”

    Ohakim bragged that he would go to any distance to prove his innocence and ensure that Amuchinwa is brought to justice alongside her enablers and co-conspirators.

    “If she had gotten away with blackmail in the past, now she has met her waterloo. As the sages say: ‘To be toss is nothing but to be safely toss,’” he concluded.

     

  • UBA breaks silence on N41bn NITEL fraud allegations

    UBA breaks silence on N41bn NITEL fraud allegations

    The Management of United Bank for Africa (UBA) has described the alleged N41 billion fraud levied against some of the principal officers of the bank as untrue, misleading, malicious, and libelous, adding that it should be disregarded in its entirety.

    This was disclosed in a statement issued by the bank to the Nigerian Stock Exchange and signed by the company’s secretary, Bili Odum, on Friday.

    Media reports in some online blogs (not TheNewsGuru.com TNG) alleged that some top shots of the bank were “indicted” prompting the bank to issue a denial via a press release.

    In the Statement To The Nigerian Stock Exchange on False Reports in the Media, the bank stated that “it has set in motion all appropriate legal actions to ensure that the misleading reports are retracted and the perpetrators held accountable for their actions”.

    It also stated that it will “continue to conduct its business in line with global best corporate governance practices, extant laws, and regulations,” as it has done in over 70 years of operations.

    TheNewsGuru.com TNG reports that counsel to NITEL, J.U Ayofu recently petitioned the Senate Committee Chairman on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions about the alleged fraud. The committee chairman, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, claimed the ”the N41billion alleged fraud was committed against the defunct Telecommunications company and National Carrier, NITEL”

    They alleged the amount was withdrawn “systematically from NITEL for nine years” under the leadership of the bank.

    Senate Committee Chairman on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Mr. Ayo Akinyelure, reportedly said, “The N41 billion alleged fraud was committed against the defunct telecommunications company and national carrier, NITEL.

    According to the reports, in view of this, the senate committee has summoned the Group Managing Director/CEO of UBA, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, to appear before it on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 to clear the lingering allegations against the bank’s principal officers.

  • BREAKING: NDDC management walk out on Reps, accuse commitee chairman of corruption

    BREAKING: NDDC management walk out on Reps, accuse commitee chairman of corruption

    The Acting Managing Director of The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Daniel Pondei, has led a walk out on the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta.

    Mr Pondei, who appeared with other management staff of the commission, accused the chairman of the house committee on NDDC, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of corruption. He said because of that, his team will not speak before the committee.

    “We are not comfortable with the chairman of this committee presiding over a matter he has been accused of.”

    He asked the committee chairman to recuse himself from the investigation.

    “There is no point of order here. As long as he is the chairman of this committee, the NDDC will not make any presentation here,” he said.

    When lawmakers intervened and told the NDDC team that nobody could decide its modus operandi, the NDDC management staged a walkout.

    The house is conducting an investigative hearing on the alleged financial malfeasance and other activities in the NDDC.

  • BREAKING: Ex-NIMASA chief, Ezekiel Agba jailed for N1.5bn fraud

    BREAKING: Ex-NIMASA chief, Ezekiel Agba jailed for N1.5bn fraud

    A Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a former Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Executive Director (ED), Captain Ezekiel Bala Agaba, to seven years imprisonment for laundering N1.5 billion.

    Justice Ibrahim Buba, who handed down the verdict on Wednesday, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission proved the charges against Agaba beyond reasonable doubts.

    Agaba was arraigned in December 2015 alongside a former Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpolobokemi, and two others for using two firms to siphon about N2.6bn meant for the implementation of International Ship and Port Security code at NIMASA.

    According to the EFCC, the ISPS Code is to enable NIMASA to carry out security checks on vessels entering into the country.

    But the Court of Appeal has since discharged Akpobolokemi while the EFCC withdrew charges against two other defendants, leaving only Agaba.

  • Alleged fraud: Hushpuppi’s ally, Woodberry hires Chicago’s top criminal lawyer for defence

    Alleged fraud: Hushpuppi’s ally, Woodberry hires Chicago’s top criminal lawyer for defence

    Olalekan Jacob Ponle, also known as Woodberry, has hired a top-rated white-collar crime attorney in Chicago, Michael Nash, to defend him.

    Documents showed that Mr. Nash signed the Attorney Appearance Form for Mr. Ponle on July 8.

    Woodberry, alongside Ramoni Igbalode, also known as Hushpuppi, was arrested in the United Arab Emirates on June 10 for multiple fraud charges after a raid by operatives of the Dubai crime unit.

    They allegedly defrauded almost two million people of about N168bn.

    The duo were extradited to the United States on July 2.

    Hushpuppi faces trial in Los Angeles, where his case has been filed before a US District Court in Central District of California.

    Hushpuppi also hired one of the best criminal defense lawyers in Chicago, Gal Pissetzky, to defend him.

    Meanwhile, Woodberry, 29, is currently facing charges bordering on wire fraud Conspiracy at a United States District Court sitting in Illinois.

    The court had since June 25 issued an arrest warrant to the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding Woodberry’s case after a criminal complaint was filed.

    His first appearance in court was on July 3, after which the preliminary hearing was set for July 16 before Judge Jeffrey T Gilbert.

    However, Woodberry seems to be in good hands with the appointment of Mr. Nash, whose area of specialization is Criminal Defense.

    Mr. Nash has been practicing for the past 55 years.

    He was admitted to practice law in 1965 after graduating from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

    As profiled by Super Lawyers, a platform that provides details of top U.S. lawyers, he also assists clients regarding Appellate issues.

    One of the notable cases handled by Mr. Nash was Illinois versus Abbott & Associates, Inc. in 1983.

    However, on Thursday, Mr. Nash’s first task is to secure Mr. Ponle’s bail.

  • Alleged 6.9bn fraud: Absence of prosecution witness stalls trial of Fayose

    The absence of an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) witness, on Monday, stalled hearing in an alleged N6.9billion fraud and money laundering suit filed against Ayodele Fayose in a Federal High Court in Lagos.

    Fayose was first arraigned on Oct. 22. 2018, before Justice Mojisola Olatotegun, alongside his company, Spotless Investment Ltd, on 11 counts bordering on fraud and money laundering offences.

    He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail on Oct. 24, 2018, in the sum of N50 million with sureties in like sum.

    The defendant was subsequently, re-arraigned before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, on July 2, 2019, after the case was withdrawn from Justice Olatoregun, following EFCC’s petition.

    He had also pleaded not guilty to the charges and was allowed to continue on the earlier bail granted, while the case was adjourned for trial.

    The commission has since opened its case before Justice Aneke, and is still leading witnesses in evidence.

    When the case was mentioned on Monday, the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, informed the Court that the prosecution witness who ought to testify in court was unavoidably absent .

    On this premise, the prosecution prayed the court for an adjournment.

    Defence counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo, SAN, did not oppose the request for adjournment.

    Consequently, Justice Aneke adjourned the case until Oct. 20 for continuation of trial.

    During trial before Olatoregun, the prosecution had called witnesses, from several commercial banks, as well as a former Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro.

    According to the charge, on June 17, 2014, Fayose and one Abiodun Agbele were said to have taken possession of the sum of N1.2 billion, for purposes of funding his gubernatorial election campaign in Ekiti, which sum they reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.

    Fayose was alleged to have received a cash payment of the sum of five million dollars, (about N1.8 billion) from the then Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, without going through any financial institution.

    He was also alleged to have retained the sum of N300 million in his account and took control of the aggregate sums of about N622 million which sum he reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.

    Fayose was alleged to have procured De Privateer Ltd and Still Earth Ltd, to retain the aggregate sums of N851 million which they reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.

    Besides, the defendant was alleged to have used the aggregate sums of about N1.6 billion to acquire properties in Lagos and Abuja, which sums he reasonably ought to have known formed part of crime proceeds.

    He was also alleged to have used the sum of N200 million, to acquire a property in Abuja, in the name of his elder sister Moji Oladeji, which sum he ought to know also forms crime proceeds.

    The offence, the EFCC said, contravened the provisions of sections 15(1), 15 (2), 15 (3), 16(2)(b), 16 (d), and 18 (c) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011.

  • CAN suspends Adamawa scribe Elishama over N1.35m theft

    The Secretary of Adamawa Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), Mr Anthony Elishama, has been suspended for three months over alleged mismanagement of N1.35 million.

    The association also directed the suspended scribe to refund the amount during his suspension.

    Elishama was further asked to return all official properties, including vehicle and documents, to the secretariat.

    Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza said that Elishama’s suspension followed the unanimous decision adopted during the state executive meeting of the association held on Thursday.

    “Mr Anthony Elishama suspension is as a result of mismanaging of funds belonging to the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) to the tune of N1.350 million (one million three hundred and fifty thousand naira).

    “The state executive of Christians Association of Nigeria expressed disappointment by the secretary’s action,” Mamza explained.

    The Bishop noted that the present leadership of CAN in the state had zero tolerance to any type of financial indiscipline.

    He said that the secretary’s suspension would take effect from June 20, 2020, pending the state executive committee final decision on the issue.

    “The suspended Secretary must refund the money to CAN within the period of his suspension.

    “He should also immediately summit all the Association’s documents and properties, including the official car at his possession, to CAN Secretariat administration,” the statement read.