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Wike Demands Prosecution Of Amaechi, Tonye Cole, Others Over Alleged $50m Fraud

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Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State Governor, has directed, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to commence diligent prosecution of the alleged illegal financial dealings involving the immediate past governor, Rotimi Amaechi, Mr. Tonye Cole, Sahara Energy, and others over the sale of state assets.

Wike gave the directive on Friday at the Executive Chamber of Government House, Port Harcourt, after swearing-in three new commissioners.

The new commissioners are Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Hon. Isaac Kamalu as Commissioner of Finance, Budget, and Economic Planning and Dr. George-Kelly, Dakorinama Alabo as Commissioner for Works and Special Projects.

This was contained in a statement issued by Kelvin Ebiri, media aide to Governor Wike in Port Harcourt on Friday.

“Attorney General, you’re at a critical period where people want to know what the State is going to do with the Judiciary Panel of Inquiry after the Supreme Court judgment on it. Luckily, you came at the right time when we have preferred criminal charges against the former governor (Amaechi), Sahara Energy, Tonye Cole, and the rest of them,” Wike said.

He said there was a need for Rivers people and the rest of the world to know what actually happened to the $50 million that disappeared from the state’s account without proof of where it was deployed.

“So, you are coming at the right time to take over the matter and to make sure it is prosecuted diligently. I don’t want to hear excuses. Let the people see what happened to our money.

“The world will see how $50 million Dollar from our account was moved to a company without nothing to show whether there was a business,” the governor said.

Meanwhile, Wike also directed Adangor to write a strong-worded protest letter to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission over the harassment of State’s Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Siminalaye Fubara.

The protest letter to be written to EFCC, Wike said, was predicated on the fact that, recently, its officers attempted to harass and intimidate Fubara, who before his emergence as the PDP governorship candidate, had served as the Accountant General of Rivers State.

The governor said EFCC needs to know that the era of impunity and flagrant disobedience to the rule of law was gone, saying his administration will not accept such behavior.

He maintained that the attempt to harass the state PDP candidate will not be accepted as the state government will not hesitate to charge the EFCC for contempt.

Wike explained that before now, the Rivers state government had gotten a subsisting court judgment against the EFCC that it cannot investigate the state finances or its officers.

He said there was also another judgment against EFCC by the PDP governorship candidate to enforce his fundamental rights, which have not been set aside

“Rivers State government had a judgment against EFCC since 2007. The court said you (EFCC) have no business in the financial transactions of the (Rivers) State. EFCC has been struggling to set aside that judgment until now. They have not even appealed it,” Wike stated.

The governor noted that nobody will accept the use of EFCC in such a political period to intimidate persons in order to achieve their skewed political goals.

“We are in a political period. People should not think that they will use EFCC to intimidate or manipulate him (Fubara). Nobody will accept that. So you (Attorney General) have to attach the judgment of the candidate against EFCC and send the right signal to them that we are not people that can be cowed,” he added.

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JUST IN: CBN Increases Banks Capital Base To N500bn, N200bn For National Commercial Banks

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The capital basis for commercial banks with international permission has been raised to N500 billion by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The policy change was confirmed by Mrs. Hakama Sidi Ali, CBN’s acting director of corporate communications. in a declaration.

She added that commercial banks with regional authorization are expected to reach a capital floor of N50 billion, while those with national authority must meet a ceiling of N200 billion.

Announced on Thursday, March 28, 2024, this comprehensive financial reform requires significant increases in banks’ minimum capital bases, which vary depending on the size of the bank.

The latest policy directive specifies that commercial banks with international authorization are now required to shore up their capital base to N500 billion.

In a bid to tighten the financial fabric, the CBN has not overlooked merchant banks, which are now subject to a N50 billion minimum capital requirement.

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Detained Binance Executive Gambaryan Drags EFCC, NSA To Court

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Tigran Gambaryan, the CEO of Binance who is currently in detention, has claimed that he has been violated in his fundamental human rights by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission and Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser.

Gambaryan, in an originating motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/356/24 sought a declaration that his detention and seizure of his international travel passport, contravened Section 35 (1) and (4) of 1999 Constitution.

He urged the court to order the NSA and the EFCC to release him from their custody and return his international travel passport with immediate effect.

Gambaryan also sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from further detaining him in relation to any investigation into or demands from Binance.

He also urged the court to order the respondents to issue a public apology to him.

Gambaryan averred that he was in Nigeria alongside fleeing Nadeem Anjarwalla to honour the invitation of the ONSA and EFCC to discuss issues relating to Binance in Nigeria.

Anjarwalla escaped from the guest house where he and Gambaryan were being held

He argued that he had not committed any offence during the meeting, and neither was he informed in writing of any offence he personally committed in Nigeria at any other time.

“The only reason for his detention is because the government is requesting information from Binance and making demands on the company,” he added.

The fleeing Anjarwalla also filed a similar suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/355/24.

At the proceedings on Thursday, T.J. Krukrubo (SAN) appeared for the plaintiffs, while the respondents had no representation.

Krukrubo informed the court that the respondents were served two days ago.

Shortly after that, he announced to the court that he was withdrawing from the matter as counsel for the fleeing Anjarwalla.

He did not give reasons for his withdrawal.

The trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, adjourned the matter till April 8.

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Federal Government To Arraign Binance Executives Over ‘Tax Evasion’ On April 4

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On April 4, the federal authorities will file charges against senior executives of the cryptocurrency company Binance, Tigran Gambaryan, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, for allegedly engaging in “tax evasion.”

Anjarwalla is Binance’s regional manager for Africa, while Gambaryan oversees the company’s compliance with financial crimes.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) charged Binance with a crime on March 25th for “tax evasion.”

The service claims that the action is intended to maintain national economic integrity and fiscal discipline.

The lawsuit, designated as suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/115/2024, is said to “implicate Binance with a four-count tax evasion accusation”.

However, on Thursday, NAN reported the federal government will charge the three defendants before Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, at the federal high court (FHC) in Abuja on a four-count charge.

Despite not being a vacation judge, according to the report, the chief judge granted the fiat for the judge to oversee the case during vacation because it is a matter of critical national interest.

The lawsuit comes a month after Anjarwalla and Gambaryan were detained by the Nigerian authorities.

Anjarwalla and Gambaryan had flown into Nigeria but had their passports seized by ONSA.

On March 12, Anjarwalla was transferred to a local hospital after he fell ill while in detention in Nigeria.

However, on March 25, Anjarwalla escaped from custody and fled Nigeria with a smuggled passport.

Meanwhile, Gambaryan, on March 28, sued Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA) and the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging violation of his fundamental rights.

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