Justice
O. Oguntoyinbo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Friday,
October 13, 2017, ordered an interim forfeiture of the sum of N1, 222, 384,
857..84 (One Billion, Two Hundred and Twenty-two Million, Three Hundred and
Eighty-four Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty-seven Naira,
Eighty-four Kobo) recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, from the account of Melrose General Services Company Limited.
Justice
Oguntoyinbo also ordered the temporary forfeiture of the sum of N220,
000, 000. 00 (Two Hundred and Twenty Million Naira) recovered from two other
companies namely Wasp Networks Limited and Thebe Wellness Services.
The
order came following a motion ex - parte filed by E. E. Iheanacho, a prosecutor
with the EFCC, pursuant to Section 44(2) of the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and Section 17 of the Advance Fee
Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14, 2006.
In
granting the EFCC prayers, Justice Oguntoyinbo ordered anyone interested
in the money to appear before the court within 14 days to show
cause why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal
Government.
The
judge also directed the Commission to publish in any national newspaper
for anyone who is interested in the money to appear before the court to
show cause why the order for the final forfeiture should not be granted.
On
May 26, 2016, the 36 states' governors, through the Nigeria Governor Forum,
NGF,had engaged the services of a consortium of consultants made up of GSCL
Consulting and Bizplus Consulting Services Limited ("Messrs GSCL Biz Plus
Consortium") for the purpose of verification, reconciliation and recovery
of over - deductions on Paris and London Club Loans on the accounts of states
and local governments between 1995 and 2002.
The
company had carried out the said assignment and declared a total sum of US$ 6,
483, 282, 424. 61 as due for refund to the states .
Following
this, the Federal Government had approved an initial payment of the sum of US$
1, 730, 930.53 for the benefit of the various states.
The
Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, had, through the Central Bank of
Nigeria, CBN, paid the sums of US$ 86,546, 526.65 and N19, 439,
225, 871.11 representing 5% of the approved initial Paris and London Club
refunds.
On
December 14, 2016, the NGF had paid the sum of N4, 389, 207,099.05 to the
Consortium of GSCL BizPlus as part of the agreed consultancy fee.
Melrose
General Services Limited, who was the first respondent, was never engaged by
the NGF to carry out any consultancy services in relation to the said Paris and
London Club refund.
However,
in order to obtain public funds, the first respondent had allegedly
re-copied and misrepresented the work of GSCL BizPlus Consortium to the Nigeria
Governor Forum (NGF) for payment.
As
a result, the first respondent was allegedly paid the sum of N3, 500,
000,000.00 by the NGF on December 14, 2016, even when it did not execute
any consultancy job for the Forum.
The
first respondent's Access Bank Plc account No. 0005892453 was said to be in red
at the time the sum of N3, 500,000,000.00 was paid into it.
Between
December 15, 2016 and January 20, 2017, the first respondent allegedly
moved out about N2, 277,615,142, in a bid to launder the money, leaving a
balance of N1,222, 384, 857.84 before the intervention of the EFCC.
Investigation
revealed that hundreds of millions of Naira from the Paris and London Club
refund were withdrawn in cash, while the company wired some amounts of
money outside the shores of the country and paid some amounts to third
parties in Nigeria.
The
Commission, however, recovered the sum of N200,000,000.00, which
Melrose General Services Limited transfered to Wasp Networks
Limited, the second respondent, on January 11, 2017 purportedly for
investment in the company.
The
EFCC also recovered another sum of N20,000,000.00 transferred to
Thebe Wellness Services, the third respondent, on December 19, 2017 also
purportedly for investment.
However,
both Wasp Network and Thebe were said to have voluntarily returned the
money transferred to them by the first respondent..
Source: efccnigeria.org
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