NOT A GOOD TIME FOR AIR PEACE BOSS ALLEN ONYEMA AS HE IS INDICTED FOR FRAUD IN AMERICA....

Wow wow wow. That's just the bewildering expression coming from the mouths of those hearing about this misfortune that has come the way of the man, many had touted and were too sure was going to be declared without a rival, as man of the year in Nigeria 2019, just too surely by the end of this year. Owning to the fact of his major intervention at the most auspicious time in Nigerian history, when he single-handedly played the role of a good and benevolent Samaritan, when desperate Nigerians, who were in major dilemma in South Africa, in the aftermath of the repeated xenophobic attacks against Nigerians, needed to be evacuated immediately.

His swift response without prompting and solicitation of any kind, when he volunteered to aid is nation for Free, had greatly endeared him to Nigerians, who saw in him a selfless hero, a wonderfully humane personality and in fact a great Nigerian by all standards.

Now just only a few months after such wonderful intervention and the attendant outrightly fantastic ovation and backslapping, it is that same candidate for the deserved man of year award 2019, now that misfortune seem to have crept towards and now he must fight with all he has, to clear his name and reputation from the damning mess, has he has been indicted for fraud and money laundering in the US. The shock to the system as par this allegations, is totally unbelievable!

Chief Allen Ifechukwu Onyema, who is the founder and CEO of probably the fastest growing airline in Nigeria, by name Air Peace, who only just how many weeks recently, even ordered for more planes to be added to their fleet, is the unfortunate target of the indictment in the US, for fraud and money laundering related offence to the tune of $20 million Dollars which in Naira translates to about plus or minus N7.2billion Naira (that's at N360 Naira to $1 Dollar).

Incidentally, Chief Onyema is a barrister at law by training.

According to www.justice.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 22, 2019

CEO of Nigerian airline indicted for bank fraud and money laundering.

ATLANTA – Allen Ifechukwu Athan Onyema, the Chairman, CEO, and founder of Air Peace, a Nigerian airline, has been charged with bank fraud and money laundering for moving more than $20 million from Nigeria through United States bank accounts in a scheme involving false documents based on the purchase of airplanes.  The international airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, has also been charged with bank fraud and committing aggravated identity theft in connection with the scheme.

“Onyema allegedly leveraged his status as a prominent business leader and airline executive while using falsified documents to commit fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “We will diligently protect the integrity our banking system from being corrupted by criminals, even when they disguise themselves in a cloak of international business.”

Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division commented on the indictment, “Allen Onyema’s status as a wealthy businessman turned out to be a fraud. He corrupted the U.S. banking system, but his trail of deceit and trickery came to a skidding halt. DEA would like to thank the many law enforcement partners and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office who aided in making this investigation a success.”

More after the break. Click on Read More below

THE MOMPHA SAGA CONTINUES AS FOREIGN COLLABORATOR-HAMZA IS NABBED!

Hamza Koudeih 

Ismaila Mustapha aka MOMPHA 

That Mompha the highly celebrated Internet or better still social media celebrity with the awesome and enviable lifestyle was arrested or better still caught, is now history. What is the very latest in the installment in the edition or series that concerns him now, is that one of his so called accomplices or better still collaborators or co-star (actor) in his drama series has also now being nabbed too.

So like we have rightly said above in the title of this write-up, Mompha's still unfolding saga continues dramatically, and from the vibes we are getting, it seems like the loose noose or lasso on his neck as placed there by the anti-graft body in collaboration with the Interpol, is gradually tightening more and more daily and those many birds that surrounds him, still fluttering around and gliding through the air with utter abandon, like they actually own the world, same way 'Tony Montana erroneously thought the world was his or in his palm, like in that classic 'Scarface movie', might soon still  be caught or caged, as the days goes by.

Like we had said before, the super generous 'Mr. Nouveau rich', little known to the world as 'Ismaila Mustapha' but better known to most as the highly celebrated Mompha, has since adopted singing, in the mold of a K1 the Ultimate/Sir Shina Peters, as a highly dexterous one man band Canary or a hybrid Nightingale, singing as an avowed multi-instrumentalist also as his new hobby. The guy's memory from what we hear seems perfectly intact, with a great ability to recall instances, places, people and occasions.

Only just yesterday, it seems like one of his formerly invisible band members, an important international collaborator, in the person of a so called Lebanese businessman by name Hamza Koudeih was discovered and has been brought into the open to come explain his own part in their many business collaborations/transactions. Hamza would have to help explain to the anti-graft body how he and his band mate(s) were able secure transactions valued at just about 33 billion Naira only.

The wily Hamza was arrested at his $5million valued luxury apartment at the Eko Pearl Towers, Victoria Island address. From what we heard, it wasn't easy at all to penetrate this highly secured/fortified, super luxurious apartment, located at the Eko Atlantic City, the planned super luxurious enclave of the super wealthy that would have no rival in Nigeria, being packaged by the Chagourys. The apartment boasts of the best in security appliances like CCTV and more.  We once had a tour of the place more than a year ago and we can readily attest to the beauty and secure nature of the Eko Pearl Tower, the view alone from the rooms, is breathtaking!

It took the EFCC men more than 3-hours to gain entrance into Hamza's apartment as he and his wife and other occupants had refused to open the door. The door had to be broken down for them to have access to the apartment. When the EFCC officials finally entered the apartment, they found the wife, who claimed that her husband had escaped from the apartment through the window. But he couldn't have as they lived on one of the topmost floors of the 33 storey building. So to have escaped from such a height, would have been suicidal. It was only after a thorough search, that Hamza was found hiding in the ceiling of his room, cowering like a trapped mouse. The officials had noticed that a part of the ceiling in his room was suspiciously sealed. Apparently the 3 hours stand off was used to try to either escape or hide. Most likely also the time would have been used by the husband and wife duo to either hide or throw away some incriminating evidences too.

The search of the apartment by the anti-graft personnel, discovered a fireproof safe which had many charms and talisman inside, which Hamza claimed were his 'prayer objects'. See the picture above.

According to the investigations by the EFCC, it has been discovered that Mompha and his pal, Hamza are highly valued targets of the OCSN which is the Organized Cyber Syndicate Network. Between the 2 of them alone, they have used 3 firms, namely Ismalob Global Investments Ltd owned by Mompha and Hamza's 2 companies namely THK Services Ltd & CHK Properties Ltd via which they laundered N14 & N19 billion Naira respectivel, totalling N33 billion all together.

It has also been discovered that Mompha alone operates 51 bank accounts in Nigeria alone via which he does his money laundering runs. He apparently undervalued the cost of the 5 watches seized from him at his arrest, which he claimed were about N20m, but has since being discovered to be more like N60m. Like we had written in one of our earlier reports, these 5 seized are some of the cheapest in his collection. He has about 3 not part of the ones seized whose value can never be less than $600,000 dollars that's atleast N200m Naira, his 2 Richard Milles alone that's the Yohan Blake & Felipe Massa are about $400,000 dollars. See the picture below, the one on the left alone is limited to only 100. Imagine that Mompha and wife have a his and hers of such a watch. And that's not the only his and hers they own. Forget about the Rolexes that he, his wife and their children all have. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Skeleton double balance wheel below could go for between $100,000 to about $250,000 depending. Even his son owns a made to size AP Royal Oak. So his watch collection could be worth not less than $2 million dollars alone.

From our own underground investigation, Mompha's rise to stardom or fame couldn't have begun further than 2015. According to the underground gist, his well known 'designer loving friend' who was actually 'deported' or had relocated from Malay like they call Malaysia was the one who did the connect. It was this friend, who introduced him to what is now called the G business or that helped to make him a G-boy. He being a Bureau de Change owner, a business he had inherited from his late dad and was running at his pace, was the perfect cover. Apparently he fell in love with the quick, supposedly good money and the rest is now history.

According to the gist, even as his now estranged friend is a lot louder than him, Mompha is supposedly more well to do (richer) than the one that introduced him to the job. According to those who might know, HP the former friend of Mompha might all be more clothes and mouth, than substance-Mompha.

WALTER WAGBATSOMA GETS SLAMMED IN LONDON FOR 3 YEARS!

Walter WAGBATSOMA

Most often it's far better to stay at home and weather the storm, then to jump ship thinking one has escaped then you get swamped where you have gone and then the hammer falls and you can't escape no more.

One that tasted that kind of soup before was none other than the former very influential Governor of Delta State and ex-felon James Onanefe Ibori, who had escaped Nigeria to Dubai, the UAE only to get extradited to the UK to face the long arm of the law and then be dumped in Jail for several years for what he could probably have escaped in Nigeria if he had stayed put!

Facing the slammer/jail for 3 years and 6 months now, after being convicted on money laundering charges in far away London in the United Kingdom is none other than oil and gas magnate and big boss at Ontario Oil, it's none other than Mr. Walter WAGBATSOMA!

Not only would he be wearing the designer outfits made specifically for prisoners in the UK, he his also disqualified from being a company director for 6 years!

According to the gist, funds obtained fradulently in the UK were first laundered through a Dubai account under the control of a UK national by name Oluwatoyin Allison, who was tried and convicted in absentia and sentenced to 7 years in the slammer. From Dubai, the funds were subsequently transferred to Walter's UK account!

Oluwatoyin Allison was just one out of many that were involved in this crime of money laundering and fraud, a 13th defendant was also convicted recently too by the Leicester Crown Court.

The investigation into the case was conducted by Lincolnshire Police Economic Crime Unit under Operation Tarlac, in which over £12m was defrauded from public bodies including hospital trusts, housing associations and councils around the UK.

Walter Wagbatsoma, 47, was originally detained on an European Arrest Warrant in June 2016 whilst travelling through Germany. He was extradited soon afterwards and charged with conspiring with others to launder the proceeds of fraud through his business interests in the UK.

Wagbatsoma, was on trial in Nigeria at the time of his arrest for his part in a £1.9 billion oil subsidy fraud for which he was later convicted and sentenced in absentia to 10-years imprisonment in January last year.

This is the third criminal trial for this operation and follows the successful conviction of 12 other defendants in the investigation which began with a complaint of fraud from Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust in September 2011, in which £1.28m was fraudulently obtained by the gang. Subsequently, a further 20 linked offences was identified resulting in losses of up to £12.6m.

After a four-year investigation, those convicted have received prison sentences in excess of 50-years and proceedings are underway to recover the gains of the conspiracy under the Proceeds of Crime Act. This is to make sure that victims can in some way be recompensed for what the Judge described as a “sophisticated and widespread fraud in its conception and execution.”

Deputy Chief Constable Craig Naylor said: “For a small force, this investigation shows that officers in our Economic Crime department have shown real endeavour and determination in investigating what is a huge money laundering and fraud offence.

“Operation Tarlac has now seen thirteen individuals given lengthy prison sentences for their part in an international offence, which has had a national impact on public bodies in the UK. As a force, we have achieved a significant impact against organised crime in this investigation and this shows the hard work by our officers.

“Proceedings are now underway to recover a large amount of money, and I want to personally thank partners for their support and co-operation with us in this investigation and congratulate my officers and staff on a job well done.”

BENEDICT PETERS WINS VICTORY AGAINST MONEY LAUNDERING & BRIBERY CHARGES. COURT DECLARES HIS DONATION TO PDP AS LEGAL

Benedict Peters

In what can be considered as a masterstroke of a victory and also a breath of air for him, the high court in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory today declared and quashed the allegations of multiple money laundering charges and bribery of electoral officials allegations against holidaying oil and gas magnate Mr. Benedict Peters and one of his several companies, Northern Belt.

In the same vein and still via the same court, it was also declared that the $60 million dollars donation by Mr. Peters and his company to the then ruling party, the PDP was a legal donation and also was constitutional and not in breach of any laws of the land. 

With this declaration by the court, the AITEO boss, most definitely would be in a great mood as the somewhat dark cloud that had hung over him and his business for quite a bit now, is been dissipated gradually.

Story is still unfolding.