The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has insisted that Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s son-in-law, Abdullahi Babalele’s, was arrested for money laundering.
Many had queried the timing of the arrest, which coincided with the start of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate’s legal battle against President Muhammadu Buhari’s election.
The Nation reported on Wednesday that Babalele is under investigation for alleged laundering of €150million.
Babalele was released on bail on Tuesday after days of interrogation. His passport was, however, seized by the EFCC.
But Mr. Uyi Giwa-Osagie (Atiku’s lawyer) is still in custody. The agency said about €67,950,000 of the €150m has been traced to the accounts of Babalele, two slush firms and two Bureau De Change operators.
Of the €67.9m, Uyi’s account received 26,050,000 Euro between January 9th and 28th, 2019. Babalele is expected to account for 41,900,000 Euro.
Meanwhile, the EFCC has released more details of transactions involving Osagie.
A document said: “On receipt of this intelligence the team booked to Lagos Island market and arrested two BDC operators namely: Abdullahi Shehu who works with Abdullahi Munaciki of Hasbunallahu BDC, Abuja and Lawal A. Abdullahi of Three Brother BDC.
“Also the team recovered the said $1.6million USD but already $141,000.00 USD had been exchanged to Naira at N358/ per dollar which amounted to N50,500,000.00 while the balance of $1,459.000.00 USD could not easily be exchanged due to the Naira scarcity in the market.
“Investigation conducted regarding the ownership as well as the source of the money so far revealed that Hasbunallahu BDC who is also the owner of Clean and Integrity Services Ltd received three transfers amounting to $5,000,000.00 USD on the 4th and 14th February, 2019 from Guernsey Trust Company Nigeria Limited which is an investment company that is being managed by Uyiekpan Giwa-Osagie in trust on behalf of xxx.
”Investigation carried out on the accounts of Guernsey Trust Company Nig Ltd reveals that various transfers in millions of dollars and cash payments were made to various individuals and companies.”
The details of these transfers are as follows:
“On the 1st February, 2019, Abdullahi Munaciki of Hasbunallahu BDC received a transfer of $500,000 USD in his Guaranty Trust Bank Dollar Account Named: Clean & Integrity Services Ltd with Account number: 325/391103/2/1/0. The transfer came from Uyiekpan Giwa-Osagie of Guernsey Trust Company Nigeria Limited.
“On the 18th January, 2019, Root Capital Ltd received the sum of $1,000,000.00 into its account in Keystone Bank PLC from Guernsey Trust Company Nig Ltd account in Keystone Bank Plc. Thereafter the naira equivalent was paid into Andrew Pitchford account by Spring Creek on behalf of Root Capital Ltd.
“On 4th February, 2019 another transfer in the sum of $1,500.000.00 USD was received into the said Clean & Integrity Services Ltd account in GTB from the same company Account Guernsey Trust company Nigeria Limited in keystone bank on Instruction of the said Uyiekpan Giwa-Osagie.
“The third transfer was made in bulk on 14th February, 2019 in the sum of $3,000,000.00 USD, similarly from Guernsey trust company Nigeria Limited in keystone bank to Clean & Integrity Services Ltd account in GTB.
“Painstaking investigation conducted on how the said Guernsey Trust Company Nigeria Ltd sourced the above mentioned $5,000,000.00 USD showed that the company received into its Keystone bank Euro Account number 1002523061 two Inflows of 13,050,000.00 Euro on 9th January, 2019 and 13.000,000.00 Euro on 28th January, 2019 totaling 26,050,000.00 Euro from one off-shore company called Intels West Africa Limited.
“Further Investigation has shown that the said Euro inflows were converted to about $30,346,150.12 USD and transferred in tranches of $14,362.500.00 USD, $14,977,194.13 USD, and $1,000,000.00 USD to Guernsey Trust company Nigeria Limited’s Dollar Account number: 1003057653 to Keystone bank between 11th January and 12th February 2019.
“On the 18th January, 2019 Guernsey Trust Company Nig Ltd paid the sum of $750,000.00 to Bluebeam Capital Ltd, the money was subsequently transferred to BLK Prestige Investment
“Also on the 29th January, 2019 Guernsey Trust Company Nig Ltd paid total sum of $2,065,934.00 to Capital filed Investment Group Ltd account in Keystone Bank Plc and the naira equivalent of the said amount in the sum of N856, 569,200.00 was paid in tranches to Andrew Pitchford Ltd account. The company is owned by one Mr. Erhunse Giwa Osagie, a brother to Mr. Uyiekpen Giwa Osagie.
“Furthermore on the 6th February, 2019, Guernsey Trust Company Nig Ltd paid Bluebeam Capital Ltd the sum of $1,000,000.00 the money was subsequently transferred to BLK Prestige Investment Ltd with UBA Zambia while the naira equivalent was paid into the account of Andrew Pitchford Ltd by Spring Creek Ltd on behalf of Bluebeam capital Ltd.
“Again on the 11th February 2019, Bluebeam Capital Ltd received the sum of $2,000,000.00 from Guernsey Trust Company Nig Ltd. On the instruction of Mr. Erhunse Giwa Osagie out of which the sum of $1,000,000.00 was transferred to account of BLK Prestige Investment Ltd United Bank for Africa in Zambia while the remaining $1,000,000.00 was converted into naira and paid into Sterling Bank Plc account of Andrew Pitchford Nig Ltd with account number 0689724732.”
