A confidential source has revealed to Elombah.com that The Australia Federal Police Authority early this year sent a high level confidential security memo to the Presidency through the Office of the National Security adviser detailing bribery probe that centers on a series of multimillion-dollar payments by RBA firm Securency into offshore bank accounts of two British-based businessmen for onward transfer to Nigerian Government Officials to win a bank-note deal in the most serious development in a cash-for-contracts scandal.

Australian Federal Police taskforce had been investigating Securency for possible breaches of Australia's criminal code, which outlaws payments to foreign officials.

Prominent amongst the names that featured in the secret memo is that of then CBN Governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, senior officials of the finance ministry and a former president.

These are not happy times for the former Governor of the Nigerian apex bank, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo. As his gubernatorial ambitions falters amidst the high-wire intrigues of Anambra politics, the former CBN Governor has every reason to be a worried man. A knowledgeable source has revealed to Elombah.com that the former CBN governor was named as one of the officials that received bribes allegedly paid to Nigerian officials in order to secure contracts for the printing of polymer naira notes.

Elombah.com last Friday carried a report by Sydney Morning Herald that A Reserve Bank of Australia company is under federal police investigation for allegedly bribing Nigerian officials to win a banknote deal in the most serious development yet in the cash-for-contracts scandal.

The probe centres on a series of multimillion-dollar payments by the RBA firm Securency to offshore accounts of two British-based businessmen, BenoyBerry and Mike Harding, who boast high-level political contacts in Britain and Africa.

The firm, Securency, was found to have made a series of multimillion-dollar payments into offshore bank accounts of two British-based businessmen linked to the currency printing deal.

While the Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN] has promised to launch an investigation to determine if any of its past or present officials received bribes allegedly paid to Nigerian officials in order to secure contracts for the printing of polymer naira notes, Elombah.com investigations reveal that the Federal Government and indeed the CBN cannot claim that the allegation that the RBA firm Securency bribed Nigerian officials to secure the Polymer naira notes contracts is strange to them.

A confidential source has revealed to Elombah.com that The Australia Federal Police Authority early this year sent a high level confidential security memo to the Presidency through the Office of the National Security adviser detailing bribery probe that centers on a series of multimillion-dollar payments by RBA firm Securency into offshore bank accounts of two British-based businessmen for onward transfer to Nigerian Government Officials to win a bank-note deal in the most serious development in a cash-for-contracts scandal.

Australian Federal Police taskforce had been investigating Securency for possible breaches of Australia's criminal code, which outlaws payments to foreign officials.

Prominent amongst the names that featured in the secret memo is that of then CBN Governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, senior officials of the finance ministry and a former president.

Upon receipt of the Memo, a livid president Yar’adua was said to have summoned the visibly shaken CBN Governor and all those involved to the Villa. It was thereafter resolved that the scandal could potentially embarrass the Government and that efforts should be made to conceal the news as much as possible.

As a damage control measure, the CBN Governor was to be relieved of his job after the expiration of his tenure and will not be reappointed.

My Source insists that the above resolution was reached after the intervention of James Ibori, the former Governor of Delta State on behalf of Soludo.

President Yar’adua was reportedly so angry that he had told the former Governor that he would do everything in his power to ensure that Soludo does not pick the PDP ticket for the 2010 gubernatorial slot for Anambra election. Soludo had never hidden his unbridled and inordinate ambition to run for Anambra Governorship race come 2010.

The probe is focused on large commission payments by Securency to politically connected foreign middlemen, often into tax haven accounts owned and operated by Nigerian Officials.

One Mr.A.B.Okauro, the former head of National Financial Intelligent Unit(NFIU) and currently the Director –General of Governors Forum is said to be the errand boy of all corrupt Nigerian official who needs advice and tips on how to launder and operate tax haven accounts.

He is reported to have personally opened and ensured the safe egress of billion of naira of corrupt money out of Nigeria and was reported to have acted as go-between for one Dr. Berry and Soludo’s CBN.

An investigation into Securency's Nigeria activities can reveal that the RBA firm paid millions of dollars into a tax haven bank account belonging to Dr Berry. The total figure is not known.

Mr Harding, associated with the British Conservative Party, lived in Africa for 20 years working for British company Unilever. According to reports, Mr Harding directs some of his earnings into a company account in a secretive tax-free business zone at Sharjah airport in the United Arab Emirates.

Dr Berry and Mr Harding were paid to help Securency, which is half-owned by the RBA and British firm Innovia Films, promote its polymer currency across Africa and win a 2006 contract from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Mr Harding said the Nigeria negotiations were handled by the company's Africa manager, Peter Chapman, and Dr Berry, a long time friend and business associate of Professor Charles Soludo. Mr Chapman recently resigned and is believed to be in Brazil.

Despite Mr Harding's attempts to distance himself from Dr Berry, corporate records show the pair to be the only shareholders in a British company called Global Secure Currency Ltd, registered in 2004.
Corporate records show Lord Steel and Dr Vadher were Global Secure Currency Ltd directors between September 2005 and August 2006.
Dr Berry, who is also Burundi's honorary consul to India, is among the country's worst debtors responsible for the rot and current credit crunch threatening Nigerian some Banks. He was last month threatened with prosecution by the Central Bank of Nigeria as his debt profile is said to be in the region of 30 billion naira. Most of the debts peaked under Soludo’s Watch in CBN

The current CBN Governor Lamido Sanusi told Daily Trust that the Federal Government will look into the matter and would determine if Central Bank officials received the alleged payoff.

He said he read a printed copy of the Australian newspaper’s story, but was yet to get any more information on the developing scandal. He said, “I am aware of the story, but I am not aware of the facts. I have not investigated. I was given the story printed from the internet. I don’t know how true it is.”   

Sanusi also said, “I imagine the EFCC and the police will investigate, and if there is actually any involvement of officials in the Central Bank as a result of investigation, just like it was done in the case of other companies in other parts of the world, I am sure government will look into it.”   

Asked where the new polymer currency notes that CBN rolled out last week were printed, the governor said, “I don’t know. I don’t know the details. I haven’t heard of that company. All I know is that if it is established in the course of any kind of investigation that there was a CBN official involved, present or past…I am sure there would be an investigation.”   

The Governor however said the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company, which prints currency for the Central Bank, often uses different companies for the supply of different materials. He said, “It uses a different company for printing, a different company for the supply of papers, a different company for the supply of ink, and a different company for the provision of security equipment.   

“I don’t know what this is in connection with. Just before I left Nigeria, I was alerted that there was a story on the internet by an Australian newspaper alleging that there were some people that received the bribe as a result of a contract that was given. Those people were unnamed. I don’t know what level they were. I don’t know if the people were in Central Bank or it. We don’t know the facts until the investigation happens, and what those allegations were and who are the people alleged to have taken the money. For all we know, maybe they are not even Central Bank officials. I am not saying they are not.”   

Sanusi said as a Nigerian, he is worried about anything that alleges corruption and “I am concerned about the image of the country but I do not have anything in that story that says to me this is something given to CBN officials, or who gave it to them or what is in connection with. But all I know is it could be just a newspaper allegation. I am not saying it is, but as investigation goes on and as facts unfolds, when there is need for investigation. There would be an investigation.”

BusinessDay further reported  among those implictated are a senior British politician, Lord David Steel, and his adviser, Atul Vadher, who were involved with Dr Berry and Mr Harding in another venture, Global Secure Currency Ltd, about the same time the pair were promoting Securency in Africa.

Lord Steel is a co-founder and former leader of the Liberal Democrats party, inaugural presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, a life member of the House of Lords and vice-president of the Royal African Society.

His long-time assistant, Dr Vadher, has also worked as an adviser to at least two African governments and contested the 1999 European Parliament elections for the Liberal Democrats. BusinessDay is not suggesting any wrongdoing by Lord Steel or Dr Vadher.

Securency’s payments to Dr Berry and Mr Harding, coupled with their political links in Britain, are likely to attract the interest of Britain Serious Fraud Office.

An Australian Federal Police task-force has been investigating Securency since May for possible breaches of Australia’s criminal code, which outlaws payments to foreign officials.

It is focused on large commission payments by Securency to politically connected foreign middlemen, often into tax-haven accounts.

An investigation by BusinessDay into Securency’s Nigerian activities has revealed it paid millions of dollars into a tax-haven bank account belonging to Dr Berry. The total figure is not known.

In 2006, Dr Berry's security technology company, Contec Global, was investigated by Uganda's corruption watchdog after its internal security agency accused the company of paying a $1.8 million bribe to a minister.

The bribery allegation could not be proved, but a report found the Ugandan minister had been improperly ''fronting'' for DrBerry's firm because he stood to benefit from the deal. Dr Berry has not responded to inquiries from BusinessDay.

An overseas-based source aware of Securency's dealings in Africa said the firm paid more than $1 million into accounts tied to two companies effectively overseen by Mr Harding, including one called JH Marketing Africa 2000.

Mr Harding, a 72-year-old associated with the British Conservative Party, lived in Africa for 20 years working for British firm Unilever.

BusinessDay has found that Mr Harding directs some of his earnings into a company account in a secretive tax-free business zone at Sharjah airport in the United Arab Emirates.

UAE officials said they could only disclose who owned the business if given a ''judicial order''. But BusinessDay linked the UAE entity that received the Securency payment to Mr Harding by matching its phone number to a telephone listing in his home town of Bracknell.

Mr Harding, who initially denied any association with Securency when questioned by BusinessDay earlier this year, said last week he could not discuss the payment from Securency to his UAE company because it had become ''a legal matter''.

Dr Berry and Mr Harding were paid to help Securency, which is half-owned by the RBA and the British firm Innovia Films, promote its polymer currency in Africa and win a 2006 contract from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Mr Harding said the Nigerian negotiations were handled by the company's manager for Africa, Peter Chapman, and DrBerry. Mr Chapman recently resigned and is believed to be in Brazil.

''I had nothing to do with the supply contract to Nigeria. It was all handled by Mr Chapman and [Dr] Berry. I became involved after that was agreed,'' Mr Harding said.

Despite Mr Harding's attempts to distance himself from Dr Berry, corporate records show the pair to be the only shareholders in a British company called Global Secure Currency Ltd, registered in 2004.

Corporate records show Lord Steel and Dr Vadher were directors of Global Secure Currency between September 2005 and August 2006.

Mr Harding denied any involvement in the shell company, saying he did not pay for the shares allotted to him. ''I won't have anything to do with shell companies … they can be used to launder money,'' he said.

Lord Steel and Dr Vadher were also directors of Contec Global during the same period. Corporate records show the pair remain small shareholders in Contec Global.

Lord Steel told BusinessDay this week his business association with Dr Berry was shortlived and that neither he nor Dr Vadher received any directors' fees or attended board meetings.

The RBA continues to refuse to discuss Securency's overseas activities, citing continuing inquiries by the AFP and the accounting firm KPMG.

In the RBA's recent annual report, its governor, Glenn Stevens, expressed confidence in the way it had supervised Securency's operations.

More http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1825:prof-soludo-implicated-in-the-securency-bribery-scandal&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=67

. . . . . subscribing to thread. . . . was wondering on which salary Soludo could afford to own a mansion in UK and send kids to Private school.

Ibime:

. . . . . subscribing to thread. . . . was wondering on which salary Soludo could afford to own a mansion in UK and send kids to Private school.

But have you also wondered why all these revelations will be made to elombah.com of all media outfits?

ELombah.Com?

biggjoe:

But have you also wondered why all these revelations will be made to elombah.com of all media outfits?

ELombah.Com?

hey, Im not drawing conclusions. . . . Im just suspicious of the source of Soludo's wealth, thats all. . . . waiting for more revelations.

As far as great man concern any story against him can come up at any time.
Innocent always wins the game.

mrperfect:

As far as great man concern any story against him can come up at any time.
Innocent always wins the game.

Another brainwashed mugu - On what salary is a man able to afford a house in a prime location in london and private school fees for children.

blacksta:

Another brainwashed mugu - On what salary is a man able to afford a house in a prime location in london and private school fees for children.

Yep!
You're another brainwashed mugu yourself, because you just can't wait for the whole evidence to come out. Idiots like you cause a lot sensationalism with your stupid retort about owing houses and sending kids to good school, but somehow you're too impatient to wait for the whole evidence. You make me sick

At the end of the day, who ever is found guilty of corruption from top to down should dragged through the village market square in handcuff, naked, and beaten up good, spitted up and without any exception. But we have to be patient to prove the allegation.

towards the end of the yr(d last quarter), Nigeria seems to be turning to stamford bridge- so so interesting a country . Let me confirm d authenticity of this

How true is this gist?

nethacker:

towards the end of the yr(d last quarter), Nigeria seems to be turning to stamford bridge- so so interesting a country   . Let me confirm d authenticity of this  

Hehehe,but why elombah of all the media house?

I stopped reading after this 

A confidential source

Me also can write and claim  "A confidential source"

Bialegend:

I stopped reading after this
Me also can write and claim "A confidential source"

pls let's wait to see how events unfold itself this was how the 5 troubled banks started. We all said "It can't be true" but turned out to be true so let's wait.

The payments to the politically connected businessmen are at the centre of an AFP investigation into Securency for allegedly bribing Nigerian officials to win a 2007 contract.

this put it clearly within when Soludo was CBN governor.

I always knew that Soludo is a fraudster from the UBA indictment in US to this current case.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/push-for-rba-senate-probe-20091004-ghyn.html

Someone saw this a long time ago.

If Soludo had chosen nt 2 mindle in politics, his unclothedness would not have been seen but these days, politics comes with alot of unclothedness.

nethacker:

pls let's wait to see how events unfold itself this was how the 5 troubled banks started. We all said "It can't be true" but turned out to be true so let's wait.

Get your facts right. The five banks didn't turn out to be any true, rather, it turned out to be what we already suspected. That is a fraud perpetuated by northerners to take over banks of southerners by force.

Elombah probably copied from Australian Newspaper TheAge. There is no confidential source anywhere!

http://www.theage.com.au/national/rba-company-bribed-nigerians-20091001-gerh.html

Bialegend:

Get your facts right. The five banks didn't turn out to be any true, rather, it turned out to be what we already suspected. That is a fraud perpetuated by northerners to take over banks of southerners by force.

Is dat wat u think?

people like naijaking1 and beaf go soon come tell us say dis news na another means to bring about some northern agenda. dem go soon say una need to give Soludo due process since nobody don convict am for any court. Ibori sef dey innocent until court find am guilty.

de ting wey I no understand be say, why dem no shout due process throughout de time wey de elites dey marginalize both de commoner of niger delta and de almanjiris of de north?

Elombah.com give credit, you got the story from the Australian Newspaper and NEXT newspaper that wrote about it on Sunday.


Soludo's response when NEXT newspaper asked him about it:


Mr. Soludo, professor of economics and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, under whose tenure the deal was signed and executed, declined comments saying: "I am no longer the CBN governor and I am not able to comment on anything." Mr. Soludo, who is now running to be the next governor of his home state of Anambra, suggested that we "Please talk to the governor" by which he meant, the new Governor of the Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5466640-146/story.csp

Every body is waiting to crucify Soludo. What about your past and present Leaders that has turned this country up-side down? Are they not walking the streets of Nigeria as saints?.

Wake up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and stop pursuing shadows.

ud4u:

Every body is waiting to crucify Soludo. What about your past and present Leaders that has turned this country up-side down? Are they not walking the streets of Nigeria as saints?.  

Wake up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and stop pursuing shadows.

So are you saying the issue should not be investigated becasue it is Soludo?

I strongly doubt this story,everything about it is based on speculations, Infact,the write up is not coherent,U will notice that whoever prepared the story kept repeating thesame thing, I am not going to start commenting until there is an authentic report of this story.
And for the ppl that are saying his salary couldn't have bought him a house in london and afford his kid's sch fees,that's a lame arguement,this guy was a CBN governor for Bleep sake.Do U think he's paid peanuts? Or that he does't have any business or investments of his own ?Come on guyz! That's not the issue.Let's wait and see,besides there's nothing there that indicts anyone besides speculations.I have a feeling that somebody, perhaps,his political rivals is digging up Soludo's past, Soludo welcome to nigeria's dirty politicking or better still American styled mudslinging politicking.U better start praying Mr Soludo,Ur rivals aint goina give ya a breathing space.

citizenY:

@bialegend

You want to pollute this sector again. I expect you to await further developments.

Why can't you allow a dispassionate dscussion on any topic ? We shall continue to ignore you.

I cannot fathom why a separatist will be so concerned about Nigerian affairs. I thought you

should be busy fashioning out your kingdom in utopia a(red Biafra) wherever that is. You have

a long way to go.

Fear of the GREAT BIAFRA is the downfall of your myopic nigeria.

nethacker:

Is dat wat u think?

It's not about what i think, but about fact which everyone knows.

naijaking1:

Yep!
You're another brainwashed mugu yourself, because you just can't wait for the whole evidence to come out. Idiots like you cause a lot sensationalism with your stupid retort about owing houses and sending kids to good school, but somehow you're too impatient to wait for the whole evidence. You make me sick

At the end of the day, who ever is found guilty of corruption from top to down should dragged through the village market square in handcuff, naked, and beaten up good, spitted up and without any exception. But we have to be patient to prove the allegation.

While i want to state that waiting for evidence is always a rule of law, as you cannot convict anyone without the proper evidence, i would also like to say that MORE OFTEN THAN NOT waiting for evidence in Nigeria is like trying to squeeze water out of a rock. In cases such as this, there is NEVER any evidence (or enough evidence) to bring anyone to book and that is why there are still a lot of government thieves and murderers out there. This is especially the case when there are no foreign institutions involved in these criminal cases. If the UK was not involved in Ibori as well as Alamieyeseigha's cases, there would NEVER have been any evidence to convince us Nigerians that these guys were crooks. Left to our own institutions: the police, legal system, records systems etc, all politicians are INNOCENT, and have never dipped their hands into public funds.

It is in Nigeria that evidence dey waka, evidence dey burn, people dey bribe evidence, people dey kill evidence, etc.  

HOWEVER, even in cases where there is enough evidence to convict, people still dey waka as free men. In essence, even if the evidence against Soludo is produced, he may still walk away a free man and become the governor of Anambra tomorrow.

Ibime:

. . . . . subscribing to thread. . . . was wondering on which salary Soludo could afford to own a mansion in UK and send kids to Private school.

Soludo has been trained and involved in research, teaching and auditing in such disciplines as the multi-country macro econometric modeling, techniques of computable general equilibrium modeling, survey methodology and panel data econometrics, among others. Soludo taught these courses at many Universities, including Oxford, Cambridge and Warwick. In 1999 he became a visiting professor at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, US.

He has also worked as a consultant for a number of international organizations, including The World Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and the United Nations Development Programme.

@Ibime, don't you think Soludo could be making money from his consultancy services to some of these international organisations. Soludo, in March 1996, was paid $380,000 for his consultancy services to UNDP which my uncle co-executed with him.

I am not holding brief for Soludo. He may or may not be corrupt but Soludo's earnings can comfortably buy him a choice house in London and pay his Children's fees in the best private institutions in London. In case you don't know, Soludo is an economist to the core, very conservative and one of the most prudent investors I have ever known. He invested heavily in the UK in the nineties. He had two houses in London that I know of in 2000. So, please its not everybody that depends on their salary. Some people work to satisfy their passion while some work for money/salary. I am convinced that Soludo remained a lecturer at UNN just to satisfy his passion. Correct me if I'm wrong.

He asked for it now? when you decide to enter politics you are fair game. Honest or not you must subject yourself to public scrutiny and pray you come out unscathed. Good luck to him.

archemedes:

Soludo has been trained and involved in research, teaching and auditing in such disciplines as the multi-country macro econometric modeling, techniques of computable general equilibrium modeling, survey methodology and panel data econometrics, among others. Soludo taught these courses at many Universities, including Oxford, Cambridge and Warwick. In 1999 he became a visiting professor at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, US.

He has also worked as a consultant for a number of international organizations, including The World Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and the United Nations Development Programme.

@Ibime, don't you think Soludo could be making money from his consultancy services to some of these international organisations. Soludo, in March 1996, was paid $380,000 for his consultancy services to UNDP which my uncle co-executed with him.

I am not holding brief for Soludo. He may or may not be corrupt but Soludo's earnings can comfortably buy him a choice house in London and pay his Children's fees in the best private institutions in London. In case you don't know, Soludo is an economist to the core, very conservative and one of the most prudent investors I have ever known. He invested heavily in the UK in the nineties. He had two houses in London that I know of in 2000. So, please its not everybody that depends on their salary. Some people work to satisfy their passion while some work for money/salary. I am convinced that Soludo remained a lecturer at UNN just to satisfy his passion. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I stand corrected!

Still, many fishy things went on in our banks under his watch. . . . and now this!. . . . we will wait for the evidence to play itself out.

Bialegend:

It's not about what i think, but about fact which everyone knows.

Which is ?