Yar’Adua approves deportation of Vaswani brothers - Customs for probe - President should follow due process - Staff
Lanre Adewole, Abuja - 20.04.2009

CONTROVERSIAL businessmen, the Vaswani brothers, are to be deported again from Nigeria over alleged fraudulent business activities. They had earlier been deported by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo over same allegation but recalled by the government of President Umaru Yar’Adua.


However, the same Yar’Adua’s administration is said to have endorsed the recommendation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that the siblings be deported from the country following their alleged indictment for fraud-riddled businesses.



The commission investigated the brothers for alleged criminal conspiracy, tax evasion, economic sabotage and money laundering, with its report said to have indicted them on all the allegations.


Nigerian Tribune gathered from very credible sources that the final report of the commission recommended the brothers’ expulsion from the country following their refusal to appear before the commission to defend the allegations against them, especially the alleged N3 billion customs duties evasion.


The brothers were also said to have failed to honour their earlier promise to pay up the N3 billion and instead took the commission to court after they allegedly tricked the commission into releasing their staff that were arrested during a raid on their companies.On the alleged customs duties scam, the report of the commission reportedly found the brothers guilty of short-changing the Nigerian government on the import duties they ought to pay on the six vessels that shipped in rice for them from Thailand.


The six names of the vessels were given as M.V Golden, which reportedly brought in 21,000 metric tonnes, M.V Lucky Field, 23,000 metric tonnes, M.V Goldmar, 20,500 metric tonnes, M.V Tolim, 5,00 metric tonnes, M.V Glory Sanye, 5,000 metric tonnes and M.V Thor Alliance, 10,000 metric tonnes.


Nigerian Tribune sources further revealed that “it was discovered that the three vessels with the highest number of goods were the ones cleared with the expired waivers, while the goods in the other three were devalued to evade payment of appropriate import duties.”


The sources added that “on September 26, 2008 when the import documents were signed to show that the goods were already in Nigeria, it was discovered that the vessels were still in Thailand. Instead of paying $850 (U.S dollars) per metric tonne on the goods in the other three vessels that were devalued, they declared $450, in order to beat import duties.


“What they did was a clear case of front-loading to evade duties on the consignment”. It was learnt that while the Nigerians working in the Vaswani companies would be allowed to continue operations, the companies would be prosecuted.


Nigerian Tribune sources disclosed that apart from the alleged tax evasion case against the brothers, it was also discovered during the EFCC investigation that the Vaswanis exceeded their expatriate quota with about 2,500 Indians working in the Stallion Group instead of less than 500 expatriate quota they had.


The commission started investigating the brothers in March 2009 and declared them wanted when they allegedly refused to honour its invitation.


They were reportedly said to be in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates when the last contact was said to have been made with them by the commission.


Meanwhile, Nigerian staff of the Indian business group, Stallion, owned by the Vaswani brothers, have sent a desperate appeal to President Umar Yar’Adua to stay with his due process mantra and not allow his government unlawful sealing or deportation which, in their view, would hurt not only the credibility of government but the prospect of foreign direct investmentin Nigeria.


“Any thought of their deportation in the middle of a judicial process will detract from the government’s impeccable due process credentials. It will hurt the good prospects of foreign investments in the country and impact negatively on the 10,000 Nigerian families employed under our companies,” a statement by the Nigerians in the the companies signed by Alhaji Tajudeen Olalere, a director said.


“If the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) believes it has a case against them, let them present themselves to the jurisdiction of the courts. Since we are already in court, it would amount to a negation of the due process policy of the government to act with arbitrariness on the matter.”


The statement reaffirmed their confidence in the courts to justly and fairly adjudicate on their ongoing dispute with the customs.


“Our companies have done no wrong. The rice imports in dispute met all the requirements of the law and customs guidelines on importation and we are ready to prove that in court,” they said.


They counselled the government to look beyond the “antics” of a powerful group of barons who desired a monopoly in the Nigerian commodity trade and who they alleged, had ruined several other Nigerians and were determined to see the back of the Vaswanis in order to halt their growing effort to institute the local production of rice in Nigeria.


Alhaji Olalere alleged that the recent round of trouble for the Vaswanis arose from their signature on the N162 billion agreement with the Nigerian goverment to produce rice locally together with the world’s largest rice producer.The new project is billed to start with farm acrages in 10 states of the federation and is expected to provide 3,000,000 job openings at the first instance as mentioned by the Minister of Agriculture.”


“We are indeed surprised by the rather harsh EFCC action when the matter is under due process with the relevant government departments, namely the Customs and Ministry of Finance. During the time that rice prices skyrocketed worldwide in 2008, in line with the Federal Government’s import strategy on ensuring food security, we responded to the requirements by making supply arrangements of sufficient quantities internationally between May and October 2008. The progressive strategy of the government was very successful, reducing the prices of rice for the consumer from N15,000 per bag to N6,000 per bag.


“All of these shipments were customs cleared and partly discharged before the stipulated duty free deadline of October 31st 2008 and were also partially discharged in Lagos port before proceeding to Port Harcourt .


These shipments, their clearance documents and their arrival details are legally well documented as is the wide knowledge of the congestion of all the ports in Nigeria during that time. However, in January 2009, three months later, the customs chose to claim duties against these last shipments. As payment of duties would undermine the very purpose of FG’s move to stabilize local prices and ensure food security, Stallion Group contested these decisions officially with the customs and have provided all requisite information since then.


“It is also pertinent to note that during the same time in October 2008, several other shipments of rice imported by other importers have not gone under the EFCC radar and are being allowed to go un contested.”

http://www.tribune.com.ng/20042009/news/news3.html

yarafufu

make sure u get our money before u let hem talibans goo ooo

PDP has turned Nigeria into a free for all where any international crooks can come in and rob innocent black people.

Yardua is the #1 anti-black leader in the country. They even give the Indian thieves get out of jail free cards.

We have to stop them now.

ibb and abacha brought them

obj kicked them out

Yar adua brought them back and kicked them out again

Next President = will definately bring them back ( those boys have skills when it comes to money laundering)

The "Due Diligence" government deported people that have defrauded the government using false documents and bribery, and also did a lot of tax evation.

Is it not "due diligence" to charge them to court and send them to jail BEFORE deporting them?

Where is Aondonkaa to tell us about "due diligence"?

@@@@ post

the things those morons in asshole rocks are ole as well

if it was in libya or iran hey they go spend like 10 yrs in jail!!

they should be jailed

those suckers don execute plenty naija for their country

again what is wrong with those morons

Tanimu Kurfi's first economic action as economic adviser to President Yar'adua was to bring in Vaswani brothers.

Some of us raised concerns and they said oyea they want to neutralize dangote.

Why is Tanimu Kurfi not made to answer questions for bringing in people who have a history of fraud into Nigeria, that was kicked out by the last administration. Reversing OBJ is not the solution to everything you know?

When will Yar'adua stop taking us for a ride

blacksta:

ibb and abacha brought them

obj kicked them out

Yar adua brought them back and kicked them out again

Next President = will definately bring them back ( those boys have skills when it comes to money laundering)

Point of correction OBJ/ATIKU brought them back to naija. as a matter of fact between 1999 to 2003 atiku ordered the nigerian customs to waive any cumtoms duties for the vaswani brothers. they never paid any import duty during that period. thats a big sabotage to our economy and i wonder why nobody is not mentioning ATIKU's name here. remember ATIKU was in control of this country btw 99 to 03 when OBJ was busy globe trotting round the world.