Tag: Scam

Ibori’s $15m Bribe: Court Strikes Out Motion To Stop Case

The Court of Appeal has struck out a motion seeking to stop a Federal High Court in Abuja from further hearing the ownership tussle of the $15million said to have been offered as bribe by former Delta State Governor, James Ibori.

The motion was struck out by Justice Amiru Sanusi for being defective and incompetent.

A Lagos based litigant, Olalekan Bayode had brought a motion to the appellate court seeking to stop Justice Gabriel Kolawole from the legal action on the money said to have been offered to former EFCC boss, Nuhu Ribadu as bribe to compromise in the probe of James Ibori.

Olalekan Bayode had earlier at the High Court applied to be appointed as manager of the $15million to be used for widows and orphans.

Justice Kolawole on November 23, 2012 dismissed the application on the grounds that it was baseless, frivolous and that the said Olalekan didn’t show sufficient reason why the said money should be released to him.

Not satisfied, Olalekan went to the Appeal Court to appeal against the ruling of the High Court.

By striking out the motion seeking to stop the court from further hearing the case, the coast is clear for the proceeding at the High Court to continue and Olalekan Bayode can appeal his case.

The motion was filed on behalf of Olalekan by John Olufemi Aina, a UK based practitioner.

Ownership of Ibori’s $15 million bribe: Use the money to develop Nigeria, lawyer says

A legal practitioner, Wahab Shittu on Thursday said that the $15 million the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori allegedly offered the then Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu should be used to build infrastructures that will benefit all Nigerians.

According to earlier reports, Mr Ibori had offered the Money to Mr Ribadu in order to shield him (Ibori) from investigation and prosecution by the anti-graft agency. However, the EFCC boss refused to use the money but handed it over to the Central Bank of Nigeria for safe keeping hoping to use it as evidence against Mr Ibori.

Speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, Mr Shittu described the money as illicit fund.

“Such fund can be applied for empowerment projects such as the building of schools, the improvement of education, the improvement of health service delivery, road construction that will directly benefit the citizens,” he said.


£1 million lottery scam: Man jailed for 30 months

Farrakh Nizzar a shop worker has been jailed for 2 years and 6 months for trying to defraud a couple of their £1 million lottery ticket.

When the pensioner couple asked Farrakh Nizzar who is 30 years old and an illegal over-stayer in the United Kingdom the state of their ticket and their ticket which is the EuroMillions ticket was not a winning ticket and asked if they wanted the ticket back.

The Holts’ told Nizzar afterwards to thrash the ticket since its worthless but after the couples left, Nizzar took the ticket scanned it at a cousin’s Best One shop in Oldham Greater Manchester where he also works and he was told by the terminal to tell the holders of the ticket to contact Camelot.

Rather than do just that, Nizzar who is now facing deportation back to his home country of Pakistan kept the ticket and later called the lottery company himself in an attempt to keep the prize. But the firm became suspicious when he was unable to answer questions about the winning ticket.

Nizzar came to the UK in 2007 on a student visa and completed a postgraduate diploma in business studies. But his student visa ran out, he was refused leave to remain in the UK and exhausted all his rights to appeal.

Camelot began investigation with the aid of a CCTV, the Tesco Clubcard belonging to Mr.Holt to trace the original owners of the ticket and the Holts’ were united with their £1 million prize.

Nizzar bowed his head and made no reaction as he was jailed at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester after he pleaded guilty last month to one charge of fraud by false representation which was committed on May 31 this year and has since written a letter of apology to Mr and Mrs Holt.

 

Akingbola ask court to restrain EFCC from collecting rent on his properties

The Former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank), Erastus Akingbola on Thursday asked a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to restrain the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and its agent, one E.L Etudo from collecting rents from his properties seized by the anti-graft agency in December 2009

The EFCC had in December seized some buildings belonging to the former bank Chief Executive officer following allegations of financial impropriety leveled against him.

In an Originating summons brought pursuant to Order 3 Rules 6 and 7 of the Federal high Court Civil Procedures Rules 2009, Mr Akingbola also wants the court to declare that by virtue of its order made in December 2009 between the Chairman of the EFCC and himself, the properties referred to in the order are not forfeited to the Federal government.

In the suit, which had Mr Etudo as a co-respondent, Mr Akingbola also asked the court to declare that the EFCC lacks the power and right to appoint an agent to manage the properties referred to in the said order as properties forfeited to the federal Government.

However, the EFCC in its counter affidavit asked the court to reject the Mr Akingbola’s application on the grounds that it lacks merit, is frivolous, vexatious and meant to distract the court.

The agency said that Mr Etudo was appointed to manage the attached property in escrow account pending the determination of the criminal trial of the former bank boss.

EFCC also said that though Mr Akingbola was restrained from dealing with the property known as Amazing Grace Plaza, he had through a company known as Amazing Inspiration Media Limited collected the sum of ten Million, Eight Hundred and sixty Thousand naira (N10, 860,000) as 2 years rent from Samsung Nigeria Limited, one of the tenants of the attached property at the Amazing Grace Plaza.

Hearing on the applications was adjourned till 13 April by Justice Binta Nyako who also directed that the applications and counter applications should be proper served to the parties in the suit.