01062019 - APC lawmakers move against party

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4—SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 1, 2019
Govs Forum Cash: A-Court okays final forfeiture of N1.4bn Paris Club refund to FG *Dismisses consultant’s claim for lack of merit Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara (M); Deputy Speaker, Republic of Korea, Hon. Lee Ju Yeol (3rd, R); Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Sen. Ita Enang (2nd, L); Member of Korea Republic Parliament, Hon Jae Hyun (3rd, L), and others during the visit of the Korean Deputy Speaker to the speaker’s office at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, yesterday. By Soni Daniel THE Court of Appeal in Lagos on Friday okayed the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for the final forfeiture of N1.4billion which a firm, Melrose General Services Limited, obtained from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) through false claims. Melrose is associated with a powerful politician who lost election in his state. Justice Cecilia Olatoregun of the Federal High Court in Lagos had on April 27, 2018 ordered the final forfeiture of the said N1.4billion to the Federal Government. Dissatisfied with the verdict of Justice Olatoregun, Melrose General Services approached the appellate court for redress, asking it to set aside the pronouncement of the lower court. But in its judgement on the matter on Friday, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of Melrose (the appellant) and resolved the four contentious issues in favour of the EFCC (the first respondent). The appellate court further held that Melrose appeal lacked merit and ordered the firm to pay 100,000 cost to the EFCC. The appellate court also held that Melrose could not show that the said funds were lawfully earned by it. It added that section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2006, which the EFCC relied on to seek the forfeiture of the said funds was constitutional. According to the Court of Appeal, Melrose was not denied fair hearing in the matter. Justice of the Court of Appeal (JCA), Justice Tijjani Abubakar wrote the lead judgement, Justice E. Tobi delivered the judgment while Justice O. A. Obaseki- Adejumo concurred with the verdict. Lawyer to the Melrose, Mr Olawale Akoni (SAN) argued the appeal while the lawyer to the EFCC, Mr Ekele Iheanacho, appeared for the commission. The EFCC had claimed that Melrose obtained N3.5bn from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum by making false claims. Listed as defendants in the final forfeiture application filed before the Federal High Court were Melrose General Services Limited, WASP Networks Limited and Thebe Wellness Services. The firms were accused of impersonating a consortium of consulting firms engaged by the NGF for the “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.” But the EFCC insisted that the original firms engaged by the Governors’ Forum were GSCL Consulting and Bizplus Consulting Services Limited. According to an investigator with the EFCC, Usman Zakari, the alter ego of Melrose General Services Limited, Robert Mbonu, made a false representation to the Governors’ Forum, causing the forum to pay N3.5bn to his company on December 14, 2016. Zakari said the money was credited into the bank account of Melrose General Services Limited, adding that Melrose and others dissipated and laundered about N2.3bn out of the money between December 15, 2016, and January 20, 2017, leaving a balance of N1.2bn. Zakari said the anti-graft agency had also recovered N220m out of the laundered sum from WASP Networks Limited and Thebe Wellness Services. The EFCC had on October 13, 2017 obtained an interim order from Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, placing a “Post No Debit” order on the accounts containing the N1.2bn and N220m. The judge had made the order following plea by the lawyer to the EFCC, Mr Ekene Iheanacho, that it would best serve the interest of justice for Melrose and others to forfeit the N1.4bn temporarily to prevent them from dissipating same. The judge, after granting the interim freezing order in 2018, directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national daily giving anyone interested in the funds 14 days to appear before the court to show cause why the funds should not be forfeited permanently. Subsequently, one Prince Godwin Maduka and Linas International Limited showed up before the court, praying separately that the funds should be forfeited to them. Maduka claimed that his firm, Udemgaba Maduka & Associates, had been engaged in 2011 as a consultant by Zamfara State Government to help the state recover some hanging funds, with an agreement that it would be paid 20 per cent of the recovered funds. He urged the court to forfeit the N1.4bn to his company to cover Zamfara State’s alleged indebtedness to him. But the EFCC opposed Maduka, contending that the suit was not a debt recovery suit and that Zamfara State was not a party to the suit. In her verdict on the matter, Justice Olatoregun upheld the EFCC’s argument and dismissed Maduka’s claims. On its own part, Linas International Limited said it was entitled to the payment of $6m from Nigeria Governors’ Forum. But Justice Olatoregun also dismissed its claim, holding that the suit was not a debt recovery suit. Having dismissed both claims, the judge ordered the permanent forfeiture of the N1.4bn to the Federal Government. SATURDAY Vanguard, JUNE 1, , 2019 — 5 LASPOTECH student commits suicide after losing girlfriend *Girlfriend speaks *Investigation will determine if it’s a case of suicide- Police By Evelyn Usman A HIGHER Nation al Diploma, HND 2 student of the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ezekiel Joseph Mayowa, has committed suicide by drinking sniper, an insecticide, after his girlfriend of nine years left him for a rich suitor. Before committing the dastardly act, the part time student of Hotel Management, went live on his facebook page, Thursday night, dangling a bottle of sniper. From the video clip, he was seen crying in his room, at the Ikorodu campus. He lamented that he lost his girlfriend when she went for her National Youth Service Corps. In the video clip, he stated that his girlfriend cited an undisclosed incident that occurred three years ago, as reason for quitting the relationship and that several pleas for her to forgive him, fell on deaf ears. He also advised men in video clip to ensure they had money before dating any girl, since it was obvious that his girlfriend left him for a rich man. He further disclosed that he had been dating the unnamed lady for nine years , three months and nine days, only for the relationship to crumble like a pack of card. He advised the Federal Government to scrap the NYSC scheme and apologized to his mother for taking such action. He also mentioned some names, saying he would miss them. His lifeless body, was found yesterday morning, in his room. Spokesman for the LASPOTECh, Olarewaju Kuye, confirmed the incident but said he had no APGA re-elects Oye national chairman •Names Ojukwu’s son, wife, Obiano, Soludo, Umeh others as BoT members THE All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, yes terday at its national convention in Awka, reelected Chief Victor Oye as the national chairman of the party. Oye, in turn, appointed the son and widow of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Emeka and Bianca, respectively as members of Board of Trustees of the party. Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano, also retained his position as the chairman of the party’s BoT. Others members of the BoT are Senator Victor Umeh, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Dame Virgy Etiaba, Dr. Mrs. Ifeyinwa Obegolu, Chief Raph Igwa, Alhaji Sani Shinkafi, Barr. Sola Oyedeji, Chief Sunday Umeoduagu and Chief Chike Udensi. Other so are Alhaji Habib Gajo, Chief Romanus Ezeonwuka, Chief Paul Odenigbo, Hajia Hawa Ibrahim Funtua, Lugunga Bako, Ahamdi Emmanuel Nweke, Gen.W.T. Gbor, Dr. Uju Okeke, Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed, Group Capt. Joe Orji, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed, Prof. David Bamgboye, Chief Anthony Enukeme, Chief Patrick Nwachi Obianwu, Hon. Uche Okafor, Rt. Hon. Anayo Nebe, Hon. Ben Nwankwo and Barth Offia. Oye said the new leadership of APGA would lift the party to greater height in the next four years such that it would be the party to beat in any general elections in future. He commended the Anambra State governor for his support and role in lifting APGA from a regional party to the third largest political party in the country. He said: “We are robust and healthy as a political party. We have N1.3bn in tact in the bank as I speak now. By the the time we round off our tenure in the next four year, APGA would be the party to beat in any election in the country. “I enjoin aggrieved members, maybe for the last time, to sheathe their swords and come back and join in building the party.” In his address, Governor Obiano commended the leadership of the party for the success it had recorded so far. “ Today is our Pentecost day and I charge every member of the party to begin now to speak in tongues to all a sundry as fishermen. Tell everybody you see that APGA is the best,” Obiano stated. Why we burnt Israeli, US flags in Abuja— Shi’ites By Luminous Jannamike The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) otherwise known as Shiites have set the national flags of the United States of America (USA) and Israeli on fire during a massive details on how it happened. The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Elkana Bala, who also confirmed the incident, named the girl friend. Bala, in a statement issued yesterday, said, “ On May 31, 2019 at about 5.30am, Shagamu Road Police Station, Ikorodu , received an information that one Joseph Mayowa, 34, a part-time Student of Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu Campus, Department of Hospitality Management Technology, drank a poisonous chemical identified as sniper, following a misunderstanding between him and his girlfriend who was also a graduate of the same institution. “He was rushed to hospital by his neighbours following an alarm raised by his girlfriend but eventually died. “In the statement from his girlfriend, she told Police investigators that she and the deceased dated for nine years. She said that the deceased was fond of beating her. That while she was with the deceased in his room, they had a quarrel and he, as usual, resorted to physical violence. That she ran into the rest room and upon return she found him gasping for breath with an empty bottle of sniper beside him. Homicide detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba visited the scene at Eyita area, Ikorodu. Corpse of the said Joseph Mayowa was deposited at General hospital mortuary for autopsy while the girlfriend was invited for questioning. Investigation is ongoing to determine whether it was actually a suicide case or murder. protest in Abuja. Though the Shi’ites have been protesting the continued detention of their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakyzaky, by the federal government, the burning of the flags of the two nations has nothing to do with El-Zakzaky’s condition. Saturday Vanguard gathered that their action on Friday was in solidarity with the people of Palestine who are allegedly terrorised by the Israeli government with support from the USA. Abdullahi Musa, the Secretary of IMN’s Academic Forum, told our correspondent that the burning of the flags was a yearly ritual by Shi’ites worldwide on the last Friday of the Muslim month of Ramadan as instructed by the leader of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, late Sheikh Khomeini. He said, “Today is last Friday of Ramadan and we burnt the flags in solidarity with the people of Palestine. “The Palestinians are been killed, their settlements are been destroyed, and forcefully occupied by the Jews. “So, Imam Khomeini before he died declared every last Friday of month of Ramadan as a demand to show solidarity to the people of Palestine.”
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