Court Orders Temporary Forfeiture Of N1.4bn Paris, London Club Loan Found In Two Banks
Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday ordered temporary forfeiture of the sum of N1.442,384,857.84 billion, which is part of un-refunded Paris and London Club Loans, domiciled at Access Bank Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) to the federal government of Nigeria.
Justice Olatoregun gave the order after entertaining an Ex-parte application filed and argued before her court by the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Enoch Iheanacho.
The court, however, ordered the EFCC to notify any interested parties in the said money to appear before the court and show cause why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the government.
The court specifically directed the anti-graft agency to publish the temporary forfeiture order in a National newspaper for the respondents or anyone who is interested in the money to appear before the court and show cause within 14 days why final forfeiture order should not be made.
The commission listed the following as respondents in the case: Melrose General Services Limited, WASP Networks Limited, and Thebe Wellness Services.
The EFCC in an affidavit attached to the suit and which was deposed to by one of its investigators, Usman Zakari, stated that on May 26, 2016, the 36 states governors through the Nigerian Governor Forum (NGF) engaged the services of consortium of consultants made up of GSCL consulting and Bizplus Consulting Services Limited tagged ‘GSCL Bizplus Consortium’, for the purpose of verification, reconciliation, and recovery of over-deductions on Paris and London Club Loans on the account of states and local government between 1995 to 2002.
Zakari averred that the Consortium carried out the said assignment of verification, reconciliation and recovery of the said Paris and London Club loans on the states and local government between 1995 and 2002, and came up with a total sum of $6. 483, 282, 424. 61 billion USD, as due for refund to the states.
He stressed that the report of the Consortium dated 31, August, 2016, showing a breakdown of the debt profile state by state and over-deductions was addressed to the Minister of Finance. And that the report was submitted to the NGF.
The EFCC official also alleged that following the report, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, approved an initial payment of the sum of $1.730,930.53, for the benefit of the various states.
Zakari further claimed that in line with the request of the state governors, the Ministry of Finance through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), paid the sum of $86,546,526.65 million USD, and N19,439,225,871.11 billion, (representing five percent of the approved initial Paris and London Club refund) respectfully into the GTBank Plc and Access Bank Plc accounts of NGF purportedly to defray consultancy and incidental expenses.
He stated further that the said sum of N19, 439, 225, 871.11 billion, was paid into the Access Bank Plc account of NGF on December 8, 2016. And on December 14, 2016, the NGF paid the sum of N4. 389, 207, 099 .05 billion to the Consortium as part of agreed consultancy fee.
He also stated that the first respondent, Melrose General Services Limited, whose alter ego is one Robert Mbonu, was never engaged by the NGF to carry out any consultancy services in relation to the said Paris and London Club refund. Adding that in order to obtain public fund, the first respondent recopied and misinterpreted the work of Consortium to the NGF for payment as if it was first respondent’s work.
He stated that based on the act of Mbonu, the first respondent was paid the sum of N3.5 billion by the NGF on December 14, 2016, while no consultancy job was executed by the first respondent on behalf of the NGF.
He also states that the first respondent account with Access Bank Plc, which was negative when the sum of N3.5 billion was credited into it. But between December 15, 2016 and January 20, 2017, the first respondent moved out about N2.277,615,142 billion, in order to launder the money leaving a balance of N1.222,384,857.84 billion before the intervention of his Agency.
He also stated the sum of N220 million was voluntarily returned by the first and second respondents, whose representatives also made extra judicial statements.
He therefore stated that interim order of the court is necessary to forfeit to the federal government of Nigeria the sum of N1. 222, 384, 857. 84 billion in Access Bank Plc account of the first respondent and the sum of N220 million recovered from both second and third respondents.
