The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, has lauded efforts of the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in unearthing the alleged criminal laundering of about One Hundred and Fifty Million Euros with Atiku Abubakar’s lawyer, UyiekpenOsagie- Giwa and the ex-Vice-President’s son-in-law, Abdullahi Babalele as prime suspects.
The Centre also cautioned the EFCC to be very meticulous in handling the sensitive corruption matter, so as not to leave anyone in doubt, because of its inherent political innuendos.
In a press release made available to pressmen on Thursday by CACOL’s Executive Chairman, Debo Adeniran, he noted that, “The case of laundering of One Hundred and Fifty Million Euros at election period by very close associates of the former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the opposition party, People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is one that is bound to generate a measure of public comments and interests, due primarily to the kind of society we have inadvertently turned Nigeria into overtime.
“However, crime has no other name, especially when it bothers on financial impropriety which we all agree, is single handedly responsible for the downward socioeconomic situation of things we are facing today, as a country.
“This is why we need to commend, seriously, the sense of responsibility and due diligence, with which the EFCC, has monitored, investigated and prosecuted this high-brow corruption issue, until this moment.
“From our own available information,about €67, 950,000 of the 150mn Euro was traced to the accounts of Osagie, Babalele, with two slush firms and two Bureau De Change operators.
“Of the €67.9m, Uyi’s account received 26,050,00million Euro between January 9th and 28th, 2019. Babalele is expected to account for 41,900,000 Euro.
“Also the team recovered the said $1.6million USD but already $141,000.00 USD had been exchanged to Naira at N358/ per dollar which amounted to N50, 500,000.00 while the balance of $1,459.000.00 USD could not easily be exchanged due to Naira scarcity in the market.
“Investigation conducted regarding the ownership, as well as, the source of the money so far revealed that Hasbunallahu BDC who is also the owner of Clean and Integrity Services Ltd received three transfers amounting to $5,000,000.00 USD on the 4th and 14th February, 2019 from Guernsey Trust Company Nigeria Limited which is an investment company that is being managed by Uyiekpan Giwa-Osagie in trust on behalf of a yet to be named individual.
”Details of transfers made in millions of dollars and cash payments to various individuals and companies, are as follows: –
“On the 1st February, 2019, Abdullahi Munaciki of Hasbunallahu BDC received a transfer of $500,000 USD in his Guaranty Trust Bank Dollar Account Named: Clean & Integrity Services Ltd with Account number: 325/391103/2/1/0.
“The transfer came from Uyiekpan Giwa-Osagie of Guernsey Trust Company Nigeria Limited.
“And on the 18th January, 2019, Root Capital Ltd received the sum of $1,000,000.00 into its account in Keystone Bank PPC from Guernsey Trust Company Nig Ltd account in Keystone Bank Plc. There after the naira equivalent was paid into Andrew Pitchford account by Spring Creek on behalf of Root Capital Ltd.
“After that, on 4th February, 2019 another transfer in the sum of $1,500.000.00 USD was received into the said Clean & Integrity Services Ltd account in GTB from the same company Account Guernsey Trust company Nigeria Limited in keystone bank on Instruction of the said Uyiekpan Giwa-Osagie.
“And the third transfer was made in bulk on 14th February, 2019 in the sum of $3,000,000.00 USD, similarly from Guernsey trust company Nigeria Limited in keystone bank to Clean & Integrity Services Ltd account in GTB.
“Painstaking investigation conducted on how the said Guernsey Trust Company Nigeria Ltd sourced the above mentioned $5,000,000.00 USD showed that the company received into its Keystone bank Euro Account number 1002523061 two Inflows of N13,050.000.00 Euro on 9th January, 2019 and N13.000,000.00 Euro on 28th January, 2019 totaling N26,050,000.00 Euro from one off-show company called Intels West Africa Limited.
“Further Investigation has shown that the said Euro inflows were converted to about $30,346,150.12 USD and transferred in tranches of $14,362.500.00 USD, $14,977,194.13 USD, and $1,000,000.00 USD to Guernsey Trust company Nigeria Limited’s Dollar Account number: 1003057653 to Keystone bank between 11th January and 12th February 2019.
“On the 18thJanuary, 2019 Guernsey Trust Company Nig Ltd paid the sum of $750,000.00 to Bluebeam Capital Ltd., the money was subsequently transferred to BLK Prestige Investment.
“Also on the 29th January, 2019 Guernsey Trust Company Nig Ltd paid total sum of $2,065,934.00 to Capital filed Investment Group Ltd account in Keystone Bank Plc and the naira equivalent of the said amount in the sum of N856, 569,200.00 was paid in tranches to Andrew Pitchford Ltd account. The company is owned by one Mr. Erhunse Giwa Osagie, a brother to Mr. Uyiekpen Giwa Osagie
“Furthermore on the 6th February, 2019, Guernsey Trust Company Nig Ltd paid Bluebeam Capital Ltd the sum of $1,000,000.00 the money was subsequently transferred to BLK Prestige Investment Ltd with UBA Zambia while the naira equivalent was paid into the account of Andrew Pitchford Ltd by Spring Creek Ltd on behalf of Bluebeam capital Ltd.
“Again on the 11th February 2019, Bluebeam Capital Ltd received the sum of $2,000,000.00 from Guernsey Trust Company Nig Ltd. On the instruction of Mr. Erhunse Giwa Osagie out of which the sum of $1,000,000.00 was transferred to account of BLK Prestige Investment Ltd United Bank for Africa in Zambia while the remaining $1,000,000.00 was converted into naira and paid into Sterling Bank Plc. account of Andrew Pitchford Nig Ltd with account number 0689724732.
“As CACOL, we believe that, it is the moral duty of all Nigerians to be well informed and acquainted with how the country is being administered and what efforts are made, especially by the politically exposed people (PEP) in manipulating it, either to our own collective good or peril.
“This is why we have laid the facts as known to us bare for critical appreciation; as we insist that issue of corruption is too weighty to be swept under the carpet, irrespective of whose ox is gored.
“In same vein, we reiterate our earlier position that, relevant anti-graft agencies should endeavour to investigate the content of and purpose of the two bullion vans, purportedly sighted within the Bourdillon premises of the leader of All People’s Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the eve of the last Presidential elections with a view to informing Nigerians of their findings and what further actions, if any crime were actually committed.”