N32bn Scam: Court Restrains EFCC From Harassing LawyerN32bn Scam: Court Restrains EFCC From Harassing LawyerStories by ALEX ONI
A Lagos High Court has issued a restraining order against the chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), from arresting or harassing a Lagos based lawyer, Mr. Babajide Ogundipe.
Ogundipe, who played a prominent role among a group of international lawyers from UK, the US and Switzerland to recover $140million from a gang of Nigerian Fraudsters led by Emmanuel Nwude for Banco Noroeste Investors, last week complained to the court that he was being hounded by the commission.
He alleged that he had been summoned repeatedly by the commission for interrogation about suspected wrong doing in his disposal of proceeds of the asset sale recovered from Nwude, even though he said this had been done properly.
Already, the Babajide Ogundipe's case versus EFCC is attracting comments from the international community and observers.
Keith Oliver, a London based lawyer and fellow member of the International asset recovery team, condemned the commission's “ill-judged and disgraceful attack on Mr. Ogundipe.”
The Noroeste financial recovery and the successful prosecution and conviction of Nwude and Amaka Anajemba, an accomplice, led to the case being promoted as the prime example of Nigeria's determination to emerge from decades of rampant corruption.
International goodwill and money poured towards the commission, which said that it had a portfolio of $40million in grants and credits from aid donors.
However, the atmosphere has soured after the contentious ousting a year ago of Nuhu Ribadu as the head of the commission.
Enticed by a prospect of $39million kickback on a project to build a new airport in Abuja, Nelson Sakaguchi, a former top official of Noroeste, transferred huge sums of his employer's money into offshore accounts linked to a group of fraudsters led by Nwude.
Nwude who was released from prison in 2006, has launched a lawsuit to overturn a $110million forfeiture order made against his 14 properties in England and Nigeria, six cars and other assets including numerous corporate shareholdings and has so far reclaimed $52million of assets taken from him after his conviction.
Farida Waziri, the new head of the commission, confirmed that she was aware of Nwude's claims and was keeping an eye on them, but insisted that she had not ordered her agents to question Ogunde.
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