Pastor Oritsejafor breaks silence on $9.3m money laundering and arms dealing scandal

This is what happens when the church starts associating with issues or business that is far from its calling. Pastor Ayo made mention of war against the church but i think it is has been the reverse as the church has not check-mate itself and meandered into issues that has given the people a reason to question their activities.

The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, yesterday broke his silence over the $9.3m arms deal scandal in which his private jet was used to carry the huge sum of money out of Nigeria to South Africa. Speaking at the National Executive Council meeting of CAN at the National Christian Center in Abuja, Pastor Oritsejafor absolved himself of any wrong doing, saying he would never do anything that would tarnish the image of Jesus Christ
"I wish to assure you that I will not do anything to tarnish the image of Jesus Christ or compromise the divine standard of the church. As you are all aware, the media has been awashed in the past few days about an unfortunate incident involving the movement of funds from Nigeria to South Africa. In the unfortunate news reports, attempts have been made to link me directly with the transaction. So far, I have refrained from making any direct public response pending the time that I would have briefed the leaders of the church and explained my position on the issues to them.
I believe that the primary institution that I owe any explanation to is the church. At the risk of being seen to be defending myself, I wish to confirm to the distinguished leaders of the church that the Bombardier Challenger 601 aircraft in question is mine. The aircraft was presented to me as a gift by members of our congregation and ministry partners worldwide at my 40th anniversary of my call into the ministry. May I be permitted to stress that the aircraft was not given to me by the President of Nigeria, neither was it a settlement for any political favour or patronage. With the benefit of hindsight, the President of the country was a guest in our church during the anniversary celebration when the jet was presented to me. This has construed an implication that it was a gift from the President of the country. The President of Nigeria has nothing to do with the gift of the aircraft. By the way, I still wonder why all those saying this cannot come out to show proof so that the matter can be put to rest once and for all. Let me say that this might be an issue of the court in the near future ”he said
He said he was also shocked and distressed at finding out what the private jet which he leased to the company managing it used it for, adding that there is a war being waged against the church in Nigeria
"Based on this, I leased the aircraft on August 2, 2014, to a company to run it. It was the lease that entered into an agreement with the people who carried out the transfer of funds. Having leased the aircraft to the Green Coast Produce Company Limited, any transaction undertaken with the aircraft can no longer be attached to me. Inasmuch as I am shocked and distressed by the incident, I wish to appeal to Christians in Nigeria to remember that a war has been waged against the Nigerian church. This war is being fought on many fronts and this unfortunate incident is another dimension in the assault against the church." He said
He went further to state that;
"The media hype and the deliberate distortion of information that followed it confirmed that forces that desperately desire to cause division and disunity in the church are at work. Even the devil knows that a house that is divided cannot stand. As Christians, we need unity in the church now more than ever. We are witnessing inhuman attacks by religious extremists against Christians in the northern part of the country, while christian infrastructure is being destroyed in hundreds. If we permit the enemy divide us, our chances of corporate survival shall be severely threatened. Distinguished leaders of the church, please permit me to state clearly before God and before all of you here present today, that I am not a party to the movement of $9.3m from Nigeria to South Africa to purchase arms and ammunition. I am not part of the deal. I know nothing about it.” he said

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Another Nigerian Found With Over N50m At Lagos Airport

The Arab nations are becoming a popular destination for money launderers as another Nigerian has been arrested with $320,000 (N50.6m) cash at the Murtala Muhammed Airport on his way to Qatar.

The man, Onwuekwe Chidi was about to board a Qatar plane to Doha, when he was arrested.

Mr Epowei Charles, the Area Comptroller, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Customs Command, said though Chidi declared the money, he could not explain the source of the currency or show adequate proof of his business to customs officials.

“The passenger and the money had been handed over to officials of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for further investigations,” Charles said.

“At about 1300 hours on November 19, 2012, a passenger by name Onwuekwe Anthony Chidi, with passport number A04086671 was checking in on Qatar Airways.

“He declared US $320,000 on both forms CDFIA and CDFIB but he could not explain the source of the currency nor show adequate prove of his business to the customs officer at the currency desk at the `E` wing departure hall of the airport.“

Records show that the Customs and the EFCC have seized close to $11million (N1.7b) from Nigerian travellers, especially to Dubai and Doha in the last three months.

What beats analysts is why so much money that can be put to better use is being taken out of Nigeria where unemployment and poverty is increasing.

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Money laundering:Nigeria L .G. Chairman Arrested in US, Akpabio steps in US

Money laundering: L .G. Chairman Arrested in US, Akpabio steps in US. Security report reaching Mid-Week Global Concord from Houston, Texas, United States of America alleges that the incumbent chairman of Uyo Local Government Area, Hon. Ekerete Ekpenyong was arrested by Houston security at the airport on arrival with over $450,000 (N74.2 million) on Wednesday the 8th August, 2012. The source disclosed that the council helmsman was arrested by Houston Security Agents during security a check at the Airport when over $450,000 was discovered with him. 

 The money allegedly discovered in his possession according to our source, was not declared to Customs during filling of Customs papers both in Nigeria and Houston. Mid-Week Global Concord news desk gathered that during interrogation, Hon. Ekerete Ekpenyong told Houston security that the money was a donation from Uyo Local Government Council to Akwa Ibom State Association for 25th anniversary celebration in Orlando Florida of which he was one of the delegates from Akwa Ibom State. 

 Another source who spoke with the paper in confidence said that the chairman was later released on the intervention of the State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio pleading that he Ekerete Ekpenyong was a Mayor of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State coming to represent his people at the anniversary. 

Another source who accompanied them to Florida told this paper that there was no donation from Ekerete Ekpenyong on behalf of Uyo Local Government at the Akwa Ibom State Convention in Florida. “At what point did the FGPC of Uyo Local Government council set and approve over $450,000 to Akwa Ibom State Association anniversaries celebration in Florida”, the source queried.

 However, there are lamentations across all the Local Government Areas in the State due to massive deductions from the monthly allocations most of which could not be explained which left most Local Governments with practically zero allocation in spite of the jumbo allocation from the Federation account.

 This paper learnt that the deduction from Local Government accounts is for the Governor for his private use. We also learnt that most of the Council Chairmen were installed by the governor to loot the Local Government treasuries.

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London Money Laundering Case Against Ibori Very Much On Course

Sources at the Crown Prosecution Services in the UK have debunked reports that appeared today in an online publication claiming that British authorities had dropped money laundering charges against former Governor James Onanefe Ibori of Delta State.

“I’d like to state that Mr. James Ibori remains in detention and that his trial is on course,” said one of our sources. He described as silly any speculation that UK prosecutors had let Mr. Ibori off the hook.

Our CPS sources clarified that what happened was that they decided to drop one count in their multiple count indictment of the former governor who goes by the moniker of “Ogidigbodigbo of Africa.”

One of the sources disclosed that Mr. Ibori’s lawyers had challenged the prosecution’s application but lost.

The CPS affirmed that Ibori’s trial date in February has not changed, adding that the simple procedure of removing a count was a strategic move in preparation of a water-tight prosecution of Mr. Ibori whose accomplices are serving jail sentences of between five and eight years for abetting his extensive money laundering activities during his eight-year term as governor. Mr. Ibori’s incarcerated accomplices include his sister, Christine Ibie-Ibori, his mistress, Udoamaka Okonkwo (nee Onuigbo), and his wife, Theresa Nkoyo-Ibori. In addition, one of Mr. Ibori’s UK-based lawyers, Bhadresh Gohil, was handed a 10-year sentence last April.

Mr. Gohil was earlier sentenced to a 7-year sentence that runs concurrently with his more recent conviction.

“Let me stress that the CPS decided to remove one count of our indictment as it suited us,” one source emphasized. “It’s rather silly to construe that as a move to let Mr. Ibori walk.”

Mr. Ibori's trial is set to resume on February 13, 2012 before Judge Anthony Pitts of the Southwark Crown Court. Mr. Ibori and another businessman, Elias Preko, are charged with 14 (now 13) counts related to funds the prosecution asserts were stolen from the treasury of the Delta State government and laundered in the UK.

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Ibori Remanded In UK Prison Till 2012 As Judge Postpones Trial Date

The London trial of former Delta state governor James Ibori has been delayed until 2012 after his defence team successfully argued they hadn't been given enough time to prepare.

Mr Ibori, facing 14 charges of fraud and money laundering, will remain in prison until the trial, now set to begin on 13 February, the court decided.

Members of the public in the gallery also got a hint of some of the legal arguments Mr Ibori intends to deploy in an attempt to have the case dismissed before the trial begins.

In legal hearings before the trial, defence team members told the court, they will argue that he cannot be tried in the UK because a Nigerian court has already decided there is no evidence he has committed any crime in Nigeria.

Mr Ibori appeared in court wearing a creased grey linen jacket and shirt without a tie. He had freshly shaved, getting rid of the small moustache he at one time sported. He waved to supporters, and at one point flashed a smile at the police officers who have worked to amass tens of thousand pages of evidence against him.

Benjamin Aina QC of Mr Ibori's defence team, told Southwark crown court they could not begin the trial as planned in November because they need more time to go through the approximately 65,000 pages of evidence and travel to Nigeria to speak to witnesses.

"Mr Ibori has the right to be competently defended" Judge Anthony Pitts said, setting the new date.

Mr Ibori's defence team did not object to the prosecution's request to extend the time Mr Ibori could be held in custody. Without such agreement prisoners in custody on remand for non violent offences can be released on bail after six months.

Mr Ibori was extradited to the UK from Dubai in April, and prosecutors decided he would be tried alongside a co-defendant, Emmanuel Preko, who was already slated to be tried in November.

But Mr Ibori's Barrister, Nicholas Purnell QC, referred to in court by other members of the defence team -and the Judge- as "one of the finest legal minds of this generation", told the court he had been forced to withdraw his services from Mr Ibori because of the schedule.

"This has caused some considerable distress to the defendant," he said.

The delay to the start date allowed Mr Purnell to represent Mr Ibori as originally planned, he said.

The prosecution said the defence team had already had adequate time to prepare, as many of the legal representatives had also worked on the trials involving associates of Mr Ibori. His wife, mistress and lawyer, were all convicted in London last year.

Much of the complex evidence has been agreed over the course of the previous trials, the prosecution said.

"One wonders what the defence team has been doing these past months," Sasha Wass QC told the court.

Before the trial the court will convene to hear legal arguments, where Mr Ibori will apply to have the case thrown out.

Mr Aina said it was not clear to him that what Mr Ibori is accused of was considered illegal in Nigeria.

"Due to differences in practice between here and Nigeria, it has not yet been established that whatever did or did not take place in Nigeria is in fact criminal, or is malpractice that falls short of criminality," Mr Aina said.

Judge Pitts said he received this statement with "some surprise".

Prosecutors said an independent expert on Nigerian law had given evidence in previous trials that the crimes committed by Ibori's associates were illegal in Nigeria.

"It doesn't seem to us that they will be able to say that what Ibori did; stole, lied, cheated, would not be offences in Nigeria," Miss Wass said.

The public gallery was full of Mr Ibori's supporters, including Chief P D Oboh, who hails from Mr Ibori's home village.

Also in court it was noticed that the court usher, the official monitoring the recording of proceedings, and the guard who brought Mr Ibori up from the cells are Nigerians living in London.

They will presumably have a ringside seat to observe the trial when it starts next year.

Mr. Ibori faces 14-count charge relating to money laundering in the UK of billions of naira stolen from the treasury of Delta state.

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