EFCC arraigns Senator Kumo over money laundering

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Saidu Umar Kumo, a former Senator from Gombe State and Nuhu Poloma, a northern actor, on a five-count charge bothering on conspiracy and money laundering.
They were arraigned before Justice Nehizena Apolabi of the Federal High Court Gombe, on Wednesday.
According to the EFCC, the defendant allegedly collected the sum of N450 million at the Gombe branch of a new generation bank, on March 27, 2015.
The sum is allegedly part of the money paid out to influential political figures and electoral officials by a former petroleum minister, Deizani Alison-Madueke, to influence the outcome of the 2015 general election.
Kumo was accused of taking N111 million out of the N450 million, and instructed one Abba Sunday Agaba to deliver the balance of N333,500,000 to a cashier at the Government House, Gombe.
Kumo allegedly gave N2 million to Honourable Nuhu Poloma, used the sum of N3 Million personally and failed to account for the balance of N106 million.
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the five-count charge.
The prosecution counsel, Israel Akande, then prayed the court for a date to commence trial.
Justice Afolabi granted the defendants bail in the sum of N10 million each and two sureties in like sum.
He subsequently adjourned the case to December 5, 2018.

 

Abuja School, First Bank bicker over forged loan documents

The Proprietor of Whiteplains British School, Abuja, Dr Francis Nwufoh has disclosed how a staff of First Bank Plc, one Muftau O.
Ande Esq.
allegedly forged some documents to aid a tripartite legal mortgage agreement on a N690,368,000million loan obtained by the school in 2014.
Nwufoh said with the said tripartite agreement, First Bank secured an order of court to appoint a receiver in the process of taking over the multi billion naira school.
Whereas the bank insisted that it got a judgment in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1023/2015, to take over the school by appointment of a receiver, the management of Whiteplains are contending that it used forged documents to obtain the order.
In a statement yesterday, Dr Nwufoh revealed that the purported signatories to the tripartite agreement, all have deposed to separate affidavits denying knowledge of the said agreement.
Dr Nwufoh drew the attention of the public to the fact that the bank was only interested in the court order affirming the appointment of a receiver, and was silent on the fact that documents were forged which misled the court in its decision.
He revealed how the so called Tripartite Legal Mortgage was purportedly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) using the following forged documents.
“A letter dated 7th April, 2014 by a Law Firm of LAGARDER and CO Barristers & Solicitors said to be counsel to the bank.
“Earlier a letter from the same Law Firm this time called LAGARDERA and CO Barristers & Solicitors with the same counsel address and phone line but now in the same transaction claiming to be solicitors to an opposite/adverse party, France Lee Nigeria Ltd.
Thus under this disguise, the same Firm applied for filling of the purported signatures of Directors of the said France Lee Nigeria Limited.
Attached to these two letters above are two affidavits purportedly sworn to by the two Directors of France Lee Ltd before a said Notary Public, Godwin I.
lmakhai Esq.
Additionally, the proprietor disclosed that a purported Form CAC 8 (particulars of mortgage), said to have been signed by two of the Directors of France Lee Nigeria Ltd, Mr.
Chukwuemeka Ibe and Mrs.
Frances Charity Ibe was forged.
The tripartite agreement dated 27 January, 2014, was prepared by Muftau O.
Ande Esq.
a staff of the bank, Nwufor said.
He insisted that the purported tripartite agreement between First Bank, Whiteplains, and France Lee Nigeria Ltd was forged.
Dr Nwufoh in an affidavit he personally deposed to averred that he was never a party to the alleged tripartite legal mortgage.
In the affidavit dated 8th August, 2018 and sworn to on August 9 at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Dr Nwufoh stated that, “Someone superimposed/forged my signature into the document and used same to secure the judgment in suit no.
FHC/ABJ/CS/1023/2015”.
Similarly, Nwufoh’s wife, Mrs.
Doris, a Director in the school stated in her own affidavit that she was never a party to the agreement.
Also, the owners of France Lee Nigeria Ltd, Mr.
Chukwuemeka Ibe and Mrs.
Frances Charity Ibe, who inherited the company after the promoter Dr.
Ibe died in 2008 had in their depositions denied knowledge of the documents.
They claimed that they neither authorised any person to enter the said agreements on their behalf nor did engage the services of Mr.
Dibiaezue Chuks, a lawyer or any lawyer of the law firm of Lagardera and Co Barristers & Solicitors, who registered the alleged forged documents.
Also, the deponents averred that they did not know any lawyer by name Muftau O.
Ande, who prepared the tripartite agreement.
Nwufoh explained that the two lawyers who were said to have prepared the documents used in the purported tripartite agreement had before the police washed their hands off the documents, insisting that the purported signatories, were never known to them, and that they have never in life related in anyway with the purported signatories and that they never at any time presented any document to them to sign.
Dr Nwufoh was amiss over how a land that was bought in 2008, by the owners of Whiteplains from France Lee (the purported surety) can be used again to surety the buyer (Whiteplains) even after a power of attorney had been issued.
Recall that the school had on September 7, 2018, through its counsel, Chukwuma Machukwu Umeh (SAN), petitioned all the 18 Directors of First Bank requesting the bank to investigate the forged documents which were suddenly smuggled into the loan arrangement with the ulterior motive to seize the school from its original owner.
The petitioner urged the bank authorities to ascertain why some nefarious persons instituted an action on its behalf claiming to take over the school when the loan is yet to expire on 12th June, 2019.

Leave a Reply