A United Kingdom Court in London has ordered a temporary forfeiture of all assets, both identified and unidentified, belonging to the wanted former group managing director and chief executive officer of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Mr. Erastus Akingbola.

The order, known, as Mareva order, covers all assets traceable to him globally, including his investments, cash in bank accounts and property, among others.

It was granted on December 23, 2009.

The order is used to preserve assets in a situation where there are fears that the other party in a case may waste or dissipate the assets in contention.

It was gathered that the temporary forfeiture order was jointly sought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the new management of Intercontinental Bank, following a tip-off that he was in the process of moving £3.3 million about N858 million from Isle of Man, an Island in the Caribbean to London.

His total investment in the Island is said to be about N12 billion.

The Island is known in the banking world as the safe haven for bankers to hide slush funds.

Before the move by the commission, Akingbola was alleged to have moved a huge sum of money from his investment in the Island to purchase some property in London.

In the Mareva order, which is now in the possession of the anti-corruption agency, property allegedly bought by Akingbola during the initial cash movement reportedly included houses on numbers 17, 18, 19, 20 on Finchey Road, London, as well as the property located at 26, Chesire Terrace, London.

EFCC, which is set for the implementation of the order, was said to have moved in particular for the all-covering order to stop Akingbola from dissipating the assets, which the commission claimed were proceeds of crime.

The commission was said to have convinced the court to grant the global order after it was able to provide evidence that he had initially moved monies from the Island to buy property in London.

In the charge filed against him in a Federal High Court in Lagos by the commission, which is being used to push for his extradition, the property traced to him were described as proceeds of the alleged crime he committed with shareholders’ funds, while at the bank.

Commission’s spokesperson, Mr. Femi Baba-femi could not be reached on his mobile phone for comments on the development.


http://www.tribune.com.ng/27122009/news/news2.html

http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200912271541851

a welcome development! hope same goes for mr james ibori too.