– Federal High Court Lagos has ordered the temporary forfeiture of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi’s 12 storey builidng
– The N805 million house was believed to have been acquired from the proceed of a N1.580 billion fraud by the senator’s company
The Federal High Court of Lagos has ordered the temporary forfeiture of the Senator Peter Nwaoboshi’s popular 12-storey building, the Guinea House, in Lagos.
ZENITHBLOG.com learnt that the PDP senator representing Delta North Senatorial District has been embroiled in a legal battle with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
EFCC told the court on Monday, April 24, that the commission had received a petition from the anti-corruption group, ‘Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum’, against the senator and his companies ( Golden Touch Construction Project Limited, and Bilderberg Enterprises Limited) alleging money-laundering against the Senator, Sahara Reporters reports.
The commission appealed to the court to order a temporary forfeiture of Nwaoboshi’s property until judgement has been served.
Nwaoboshi who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs could be facing a jail term if found guilty of money laundering and fraud.
Federal government ordered the temporary forfeiture of Nwaoboshi’s 12-storey building in Lagos over allegation of Fraud and money laundering.
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According to a deponent, Garuba Yusuf Abubakar, in an affidavit in support of EFCC application to Lagos High Court, the senator, in 2010, got a contract from the Tender Boards of Delta state, through his second company, Bilderberg Enterprises Limited but rather than purchase new construction equipment for the Delta State Direct Labour Agency, for N1.580 billion the company reportedly only imported and supplied used equipment to the agency, although the state government fully paid for new ones.
The senator, using his first company name,
Garuba further stated that in the assets declaration form submitted the Code of Conduct Bureau in June 2015, Senator Nwaoboshi claimed he acquired the Apapa property through being a Director of Golden Touch Construction Projects Limited, but his claim was contradicted by the Corporate Affairs Commission, which revealed that the Senator is neither a shareholder nor a director of the company.
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Also, alleged directors and shareholders of his company, Nwanbuoku Ike and Emma Ekpon, in their statements denied knowledge of being directors and shareholders of the company, affirming that the presence of their names in the CAC documents was forged.
Garuba also said that further investigation revealed that the Senator’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) 22300559079, has 20 Bank accounts he operates in Nigeria, while his private companies through BVN 22244303840, have 23 Bank accounts.
Justice Abdulaziz Anka, after listening to the EFCC counsel, ordered that the property at 27 Marine Road, Apapa, belonging to Senator Nwaoboshi, be temporarily forfeited to the federal government pending the conclusion of the investigation, when a criminal charge will be filed against Senator Nwaoboshi and his companies.
Meanwhile, in an interview with some journalists, the lawmaker stated that he is being hounded by the EFCC for not supporting the nomination of the anti-graft commission boss, Ibrahim Magu, and this backing of Senate president, Bukola Saraki.
He said: ”I have heard people say that, the EFCC takes time to prosecute people in the public through the press without verifying the issue. This is a typical example.”
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