The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has insisted that Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s son-in-law, Abdullahi Babalele’s, was arrested for money laundering.
Many had queried the timing of
the arrest, which coincided with the start of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) candidate’s legal battle against President Muhammadu
Buhari’s election.
The Nation reported on Wednesday that Babalele is under investigation for alleged laundering of €150million.
Babalele was released on bail on Tuesday after days of interrogation. His passport was, however seized by the EFCC.
But
Mr. Uyi Giwa-Osagie (Atiku’s lawyer) is still in custody. The agency
said about €67,950,000 of the €150m has been traced to the accounts of
him, Babalele, 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.
Meanwhile, the EFCC has released more details of transactions involving Osagie.
A
document said: “On receipt of this intelligence the team booked to
Lagos Island market and arrested two BDC operators namely: Abdullahi
Shehu who works with Abdullahi Munaciki of Hasbunallahu BDC, Abuja and
Lawal A. Abdullahi of Three Brother BDC.
“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 the
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 Bleep.
”Investigation
carried out on the accounts of Guernsey Trust Company Nig Ltd reveals
that various transfers in millions of dollars and cash payments were
made to various individuals and companies.”
The details of these transfers 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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
Source:- Dailypostng
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