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Nigeria: OPL 245 - How Italian Prosecutors Hid Vital Information From Judge

In the transcripts of the hearing with Criminal Proceeding No. 54772/13 RGNR, the prosecution witness, Ferri Alessandro, had told the court that Adoke owned the property at No. 271, Cadastral Zone A06 Maitama, Abuja, for which he had collected a mortgage of N300 million from Unity Bank in 2011.

However, with Adoke having failed to provide the N200 million equity contribution towards the purchase price for the property valued at N500 million, the mortgage facility had been withdrawn and Carlin International Nigeria Limited, the property developer, had returned the bank's N300 million before selling the property to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The prosecutor identified the peculiarity of the allegations made against Adoke that "it appears that it is Adoke who gave money to Abubakar in reference to the purchase of No. 271, Cadastral Zone A06 Maitama, Abuja, from Carlin International Nigeria Ltd", which was agreed by the witness Alessandro in evidence, according to the transcript of court proceedings, the following conversation then ensued between the prosecutor and his witness.

Although Carlin International refunded the bank's N300 million payment and took back the property to sell to the CBN, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has gone ahead to charge Adoke to court for money laundering and criminal breach of trust.

It is understood from the account of Ferri's testimony in evidence, at the ongoing trial in Milan, that the EFCC was an integral part of the investigations relied upon by the Milan prosecutor, and are placed with facts confirming that the CBN as the current owner of the property No. 271, Cadastral Zone A06 Maitama, Abuja, since its purchase in October 2013 from Carlin International, and not Adoke.

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