Paris Club Refund: Court Freezes Seven Accounts Linked To Governors’ Forum
According to Sahara reporters, The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has frozen seven bank accounts used by the Governors Forum. This is coming amidst the Paris Club Refund. Read full details :
The Federal High Court in Abuja has frozen seven separate
accounts which, according to the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, were used by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to
launder the sum of N10bn said to be derived from the proceeds
of the Paris Club refund.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole directed on Wednesday that the
freezing order would last for 45 days within which the EFCC
must either institute charges in respect of the transactions
against the relevant suspects or apply to the court for an
extension of the order.
The judge also gave seven days to the account owners, if
interested in seeking the setting aside of the freezing order,
to file an application which must be served on the EFCC.
The frozen accounts are 0002184449 with Jaiz Bank Plc and
operated by HAD Properties Limited; 0025600864 with Guaranty
Trust Bank Plc and operated by Hassan Ahmed Danbaba; as well
as 0005892453 with Access Bank Plc and operated by Melrose
General Services Coy.
They also include one Access Bank account, 0045824054 and
another Zenith Bank Plc account 1010948906, both of which
belong to Bina Consult and Integrated Services.
The rest are two Access Bank Plc accounts – 0700755576 and
0700946008 – belonging to Farouk Adamu Aliyu and Malam Alu
Agro Allied Company Ltd., respectively.
EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Ben Ikani, had moved the ex parte
application seeking the freezing of the accounts on November
27, following which Justice Kolawole adjourned till Wednesday
for ruling.
The commission alleged that its preliminary investigation had
revealed that the N10bn was fraudulently diverted by the NGF
under the guise of paying consultancy fee to BizPlus GSCL
Consortium which the Forum engaged “to carry out
reconciliation of accounts and recover the amounts due to the
states” from the refund of the over-deducted payment of
Paris Club debt by the Federal Government from 1995 to 2002.
Zamfara State Governor Yari
In an affidavit filed in support of the EFCC’s ex parte
motion, a member of the Special Investigation Committee, set
up by the commission to investigate the alleged Paris Club
refunds scam, Osas Azonabor, alleged that preliminary
investigation had revealed that the NGF caused the Central
Bank of Nigeria to pay N19,439,225,871.11 into its account for
onward payment to BizPlus as consultancy fee.
But the investigator stated that N10bn of the N19.4bn paid to
the NGF account by the CBN was fraudulently disbursed to the
seven accounts of companies and individuals, who were not part
of the said BizPlus GSCL Consortium.
Detailing how the fraud was allegedly perpetrated, Azonabor
alleged that the NGF had agreed to pay a "success fee" of
two percent to BizPlus GSCL Consortium.
But the investigator alleged that upon the success of the
recovery, rather than stick to the two percent fee, the NGF
caused the Central Bank of Nigeria to deduct five percent,
amounting to the N19.4bn.
He said, “That sometime in January 2017, the applicant (EFCC)
received intelligence in respect of a case against the Nigerian
Governors’ Forum alleging conspiracy, criminal misappropriation
of public funds involving the sum of N19,439,225,871.11 out of
the Paris Club refund made by the Federal Government in
favour of the 36 states of the federation.
“That preliminary investigation conducted by the commission
revealed that the 36 state governments, under the auspices of
the NGF, engaged the services of Bizplus GSCL Consortium to
carry out reconciliation of accounts and recover amounts due
to the states from line charge made on them from 1995 to 2002
for a success fee of two percent payable by the NGF.
“That investigation further revealed that contrary to the
agreed fee of two percent as stated in paragraph 6 above,
NGF caused the Central Bank of Nigeria to deduct five percent
of the amount due to the states which amounted to the sum of
N19.4bn (stated in paragraph 5 above) and paid the same into
the NGF account, supposedly for onward payment to the Bizplus
GSCL consortium.
“That our investigation of the case further revealed that a
larger part of the amount stated in paragraphs 5 and 7 above
was fraudulently disbursed by the NGF to individuals and
corporate entities that were not part of the consortium.
“That the names, account numbers and bankers of the
fraudulent beneficiaries of the criminal diversion of the public
funds are as stated in the schedule to this application and
that copies of the statements of accounts showing the
disbursements is hereby attached and marked Exhibits EFCC1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 respectively.
“That further investigation revealed that those individuals and
corporate entities were used by the NGF to launder over N10bn
under the guise of paying consultancy fees to the Bizplus
GSCL Consortium which, however, found its way to the various
accounts listed in the schedule to this application.”
Justifying the commission’s request for the freezing order,
Azonabor stated that the 72 hours stop-order allowed by law
to be placed on any account suspected to be involved in a
suspicious transaction or any crime had expired, but the
investigation had yet to be concluded.
He maintained that the court order freezing the accounts was
needed to enable the EFCC to carry out its investigation to a
logical conclusion.
He said, “That further to the foregoing, I am aware that
substantial amounts of the fraudulent disbursements into these
accounts have further been laundered to some other accounts or
withdrawn as cash. While a discrete investigation is currently
ongoing, the 72 hours stop order allowed by law to be placed
on any account suspected to be involved in a suspicious
transaction or any crime has expired.’
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