BY CHARLES KUMOLU
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/06/boko-haram-group-urges-senate-to-reconvene/

LAGOS – TRANSFORM Nigeria Movement,TNM, has called on Senate President, David Mark, to recall the Senate from recess, in order to address the growing rate of terrorism in the country.

It also lamented that the inability of President Goodluck Jonathan to name his cabinet and kick-start governance three weeks after his inauguration, has been attributed to the Senate going on recess barely a week after inauguration.

In a letter addressed to the Senate President, which was signed by Mr. Chuka Agu, TNM noted that recent upsurge in Boko Haram attacks should be treated as a matter of urgent national importance.

A few weeks ago, the Nigerian Liberty Forum was alerted to the existence of a five-page letter dated 24 September 2009 written by Mr Tony Baldry, the Conservative MP for Banbury, to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the Rt Hon David Milliband MP, and copied to the Attorney-General, the Rt Hon Baroness Scotland QC, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, and the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP.

In this letter, Mr Baldry apparently sought to persuade these senior Cabinet Ministers of Her Majesty’s Government of the need for the Her Majesty’s Government to discontinue the ongoing prosecution of the associates of the former Governor of Delta State of Nigeria, Mr James Ibori, for various money laundering offences at the Southwark Crown Court purportedly on the grounds that the prosecution is damaging to the interests of her Majesty’s Government.

http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2481:the-british-mp-trying-to-stop-the-james-ibori-a-co-trial-in-britain&catid=25:politics&Itemid=37

The Asaba Judge trying the Ibori case wrote ne letter to the London Southwark Crown Court Judge trying Udoamaka Okonkwo and others.

Moreover, Aondoakaa played no role in the whle affair!

The purported letter from the trial judge in the Federal High Court, Asaba, Delta State in the matter of FRN vs. Cheif James Onanefe Ibori and others to a trial court in London did not happen after all, but is only a figment of some peoples imagination; so said Barrister Emeka Arinze, the legal counsel to the former governor of Delta State, Mr James Ibori.

Furthermore, information available to us indicates that it was a London Lawyer that wrote Mr. Arinze, who then replied on the strength of the letter from Asaba Court, but he attached that relevant letter (below) from the Registrar of Asaba Federal High Court; “that is what they claim came from the Asaba Judge”, An Ibori associate emphasized.

In a strongly worded rebuttal to Justice Idris Legbo Kutiji (GCON), Chief Justice of the Federation Supreme Court of Nigeria titled, FRN Vs. Cheif James Onanefe Ibori and others; Petition  Against Honourable Justice M. Awokulehin of The Federal High Court, Asaba. Barr Arinze stated that the Asaba Judge “did not write any letter to any court, whether in Nigeria or the UK”.
The learned counsel said “to put the facts and records straight on the relationship between the London courts trying Udoamaka Okonkwo and others on similar charges in Nigeria and the transmission of documents”; any letter written, or any correspondence shared was between him and the Asaba Court, and between him and a London Lawyer.

To get to the bottom of the matter, Elombah.com asked for and got copies of the correspondences between Barrister Emeka Arinze of Emeka Arinze & co and the Federal High Court, Asaba, Delta State.

In the first letter (posted here) from Arinze to the Asaba Court written on 23rd Sept 2009, As the solicitor representing the accused persons, he asked of the Asaba Judge; “1. When the briefs of the parties were filed and exchanged, 2. When was the matter adjourned to and for what purpose?

In the courts reply (posted here) on September 30, 2009, the Federal High Court Registrar replied; “Be it confirmed that the prosecution filed their brief on the 17/8/09 while Counsel to the Accused Persons filed theirs on 4/8/09 and both parties have duly exchanged their briefs. On 6th August, 2009, the matter was further adjourned to 26th October, 2009 to enable all the parties in the case (the Prosecution and defence) to adopt their respective briefs.

Recall that in the letter allegedly written to the trial court in London, the Southwark Crown Court was said to be informed that the case at the Federal High Court, Asaba would be disposed off at the next adjourned date on October 26, 2009. But according to an Aid to the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, “if there was no letter to any court, there would be no contents in a non-existent letter”.
http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2112:james-ibori-asaba-judge-letter-to-london-judge-the-true-story&catid=25:politics&Itemid=37

Are you serious?

mikeansy:

Roundly condemed?

Could you explain what that means please?

and who roundly condemed him?

Tories hiring General Dannatt is 'major error of judgment', says ex-civil service chief

David Cameron's decision to appoint the former head of the Army as a military adviser has been condemned as 'thoroughly reprehensible'.

In a highly unusual step, the former head of the civil service Lord Turnbull told MPs that the Tory leader's appointment of General Sir Richard Dannatt was a 'major error of judgment', which would undermine the neutrality of the Armed Forces.
General Dannatt, pictured, gained a reputation for independence when he publicly criticised the provision of equipment to front line troops.

But critics claim his rapid move into party politics, less than two months after retiring as Chief of the General Staff, undermines his attacks on Government defence policy.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1220647/Tories-appointment-General-Dannatt-major-error-judgment-says-ex-civil-service-chief.html#ixzz0VsPjxSQr

It is very difficult to enforce this CBN Directive,

there is a loophole in suspicious transaction reporting system where the battle in the crackdown against Politically exposed persons engaging in money laundering gets bogged down in the definition of the word ‘suspicious’.

see http://www.elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2093:loopholes-in-sanusis-cash-crackdown-on-politicians&catid=52:daniel-elombah&Itemid=73

mikeansy:

General Sir Richard Dannatt stepped down as the UK Army chief only last month and has already been named as a possible cabinet member should David Cameron win the Next election.

Let alone CBN Governor.

So what are we saying?

BUT HE HAS BEEN ROUNDLY CONDEMNED BY POLITICIANS AND OTHERS  IN THE UK, EVEN BY HIS FELLOWS IN THE UK ARMED FORCES!

Mr. Femi Falana, has berated the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, for dabbling into politics, saying such development would not have occurred in decent societies. Stating that his reservation against Soludo was borne out of the fact that he joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2006 while still serving as the CBN governor, the human rights lawyer added that the ex-CBN governor deserves to be clamped in jail.

Falana said: “He (Soludo) told everybody that he became a Peoples Democratic Party member in 2006, when he was still the governor of the CBN. So, all along, we had a politician as the CBN governor. In a decent society, Soludo should be in jail by now. If (Lamido) Sanusi had not become governor when he came in, all the banks recently declared as under stress would have gone under by now.”

He spoke at the inauguration of the Ogun State chapter of Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) in Abeokuta, the state capital, at the weekend, where the President of West African Bar Association (WABA), submitted that the AGF’s office, as currently constituted, has been bedevilled with “corruption and indolence.”

Source; http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2078:soludo-should-be-in-jail-falana&catid=49:hardtalk&Itemid=75

According to Lamido Sanusi, the sacked Chief Executive Officers and directors of eight banks allegedly looted N1trillion from their Banks But according to the EFCC, 56 Politicians including Olabode George allegedly  collectively removed over N243 billion from the nation’s treasury.

Now, Mr. Ayogu Eze, chairman of the Senate Committee on Media believes that corruption among politicians could not in any way be compared with corruption among bankers. In other words, attacks on politicians are unwarranted, as the group is not guiltier than the rest of Nigerians.

So, fellow Nairalanders, I ask, among our Bankers and politicians, who are more corrupt?

http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2008:corruption-between-bankers-and-politicians&catid=25:politics&Itemid=37

MrCrackles:

I wonder!

The use of summa cum laude was meant to emphasize the incongrousity of a motor park tout taking a first class brain for a ride PLEASE!

@KORO-ORO

Thanks for your intelligent reasoning

onye_ngbu:

Edoji, Whoever paid you for a   smear campaign against Soludo is not smart just like you.

People have a way of carrying out such deeds without being noticed but you cant even try to hide it.

Your Elombah website has 'pull Soludo down' written all over the home page.

Like someone said here, GO GET A LIFE!

In fighting corruption, there is no need to "carry out such deeds without being noticed"!

If you care to know, WE have a network of 4,000 Nigerians on FACEBOOK and YAHOOGROUPS committed to fighting corruption whenever and wherever they are discovered.
(CHECK HERE FOR JUST ONE OF THEM http://apps.facebook.com/causes/298145/50586832?m=e56504ed)

I was a fan of Soludo untill I stumbled on highly damaging information of the shenanigan that went on during the Banking consolidation.

I repeat, dont worry, cool down. The things you are reading are the stories already verified. Once others are verified too, they will be made public.

I am not a stranger to these [i]ad hominem [/i]attacks that attack the messenger while leaving out the message,

Naira notes bribery: ‘Only CBN can award contract’
Latest news
WRITTEN BY JIBRIN ABUBAKAR
WEDNESDAY, 07 OCTOBER 2009 01:12
The Central Bank of Nigeria is the only financial institution in the country that can award contract for the printing of the country’s currency, Daily Trust has learnt.
Former CBN Governor Chukwuma Soludo was quoted yesterday by a local newspaper as saying that CBN only placed an order with the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Limited Plc, and that CBN could not have been involved in the bribery of Nigerian officials by the Australian printing company, The Securency.

The Age newspaper of Australia last week revealed that Mr Harding and another British-based businessman, Benoy Berry, were paid several million dollars by Securency to market the company’s polymer notes in Africa and to win a currency printing deal in Nigeria.

The current CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and the National Assembly had said they were prepared to launch an investigation into the bribery saga.

The central bank of Australia is also facing calls for a Senate inquiry into the cash-for-contracts scandal.

But a source told Daily Trust that it is only the central bank that could have awarded the contract for the printing of the polymer notes because the CBN has majority stake of 77 per cent in Nigeria’s Mint.

The source said G&B of Germany, however, printed the new polymer notes of N5, N10 and N50.

http://www.news.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7416:naira-notes-bribery-only-cbn-can-award-contract-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=119

mikeansy:

Your are begining to shift the goal post

I am very worried about the situation of corruption in Nigeria. But I am also smart enough to understand when our collective misfortune is being exploited to score cheap political points by folks who are bigger cultprits in the corruption circus.

You still have not told me why Elombah will know the CBN ordering processes more than the CBN Governor?

No one is shifting the goal post:
Your question was "who paid these bribe money"?

My answer: SECURENCY; RBA firm Securency paid 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.


Your next question was:  Just like Soludo has aserted, can Elombah also explain why it thinks a company like Securency that enjoys monopoly would want to pay a bribe to secure contract in Nigeria. Who are securency's competititors for the Nigerian contract and why would the bribe be necessary?

ANSWER:

Are you saying there is no investigation going on in Australia?
Australian Federal Police taskforce had been investigating Securency for possible breaches of Australia's criminal code, which outlaws payments to foreign officials. Now the Australian police have asked their parliament to join the investigation.
Don't worry, Australia and UK is not Nigeria. If you have been following the BAE Bribery scandal going on in the UK (or even the Mabey-Johnson one), such matters are rarely swept under the carpet. The truth must be out.

If you are being objective, the Elombah.com report clearly said, that some time around June, The Australian authorities sent a dozzier to Nigeria mentioning the Nigerian angle to the investigation and mentioned two other paople apart from Soludo.

My problem with the report is why mention and forgo the nAME OF "a former head of state" and another person.

My brother, this is what we will fight for,  NAME THE OTHER CULPRITS.

A lot of mago mago happened under Soludos's tenure at CBN, if Soludo gets into politics, more of these things will be exposed, Just keep your fingers crossed,

mikeansy:

Please is there a reason why Elombah will know the mode of operation of CBN more than a previous CBN Governor?

If you have any reasons give us.

Also give us a reason why Elombah has refused to name those who paid these bribe money?

Just like Soludo has aserted, can Elombah also explain why it thinks a company like Securency that enjoys monopoly would want to pay a bribe to secure contract in Nigeria. Who are securency's competititors for the Nigerian contract and why would the bribe be necessary?

It does not cease to marvel me why ordinary poor Nigerians insist on paying penace for the corrupt.

Did you read the report at all?

"RBA firm Securency paid 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."

This is a report being investigated in Australia. Dont worry, just as the Mabey-Johnson bribery scandal, when RBA is convicted in Australia, the BRitish arm of the investigation will commence, and then finally, the courts will name the Nigerian culprits!

My brother,

The Igbo's say, anuna ngwo na nkwu ne nku enu na abia

More stories are coming, don't mind Soludo, Soludo was quoted yesterday by a local newspaper as saying that CBN only placed an order with the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Limited Plc, and that CBN could not have been involved in the bribery of Nigerian officials by the Australian printing company, The Securency,

But Elombah.com discovered that The Central Bank of Nigeria is the only financial institution in the country that can award contract for the printing of the country’s currency,,

The guy is simply corrupt

How can Chris Uba, a near-illiterate political crook, be able to build a political machine in Anambra State that can outsmart any and everybody in the state, and even con one of the best brains in the country; Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo?

See this story from Elombah.com

If it amazes you, that Chris Uba, a near-illiterate political crook, has been able to build a political machine in Anambra State that can outsmart any and everybody in the state, you will be utterly flabbergasted as to how he could con one of the best brains in the country; Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, summa cum laude. No one could tell precisely how or when the relationship between Chris Uba and Charles Soludo began; but this much we knew that in the last political dispensation, he sponsored a PDP candidate for the Aguata Constituency in the House of Representatives against another candidate sponsored by Andy Ubah, former domestic assistant to ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo. Andy was pissed off and so he determined to teach Soludo a political lesson.

He sponsored a rival candidate from the Labour party, Hon Umeoji Chukwuma who won the election.

Perhaps, it was this realisation; that to succeed in Anambra politics, you need more than brains and money, you also need to employ thuggery, that led Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the former Governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank - a graduate of University of Nigeria Nsukka, citadel of higher learning, and one the best in the country, where the great Zik of Africa dreamed to restore “the dignity of man” - into the warm embrace of a motor Park tout and secondary School drop-out that honed his skill under another wheeler-dealer and pre-eminent god-father, Arthur Eze.

Chris Uba rose to notoriety in 2003 when he chose Chis Ngige to be the governor of Anambra State in 2003. As soon as Dr. Ngige reneged on an arrangement to hand the resources of Anambra State to Uba, the enfant terrible conspired with Obasanjo and former Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, to abduct the former governor.

But Ngige survived the kidnap ordeal to continue as governor. Uba was then advised by unscrupulous members of the then National Assembly to create anarchy in the state so that a state of emergency would be declared to get rid of Ngige.

Uba thus resorted to hiring thugs to destroy public infrastructure and create mayhem, but that too failed. It was only in March of 2005 that a Court of Appeal removed Ngige from office, replacing him with Peter Obi of APGA, the rightful winner of the 2003 gubernatorial election.

Professor Soludo is no stranger to these tales. A pragmatic man that he is, he is aware that to assume the governorship position he has to “bow to kodo”.

Not many people actually knew the nature of relationship between Soludo and Chris Uba, moreover those in the know are not forthcoming. However, highly informed sources told Elombah.com, that once Soludo got it in his head to dabble into politics, his habit as governor of the Central Bank was to use his position to create wealth for those he believed will help him achieve his political ambition. He began by dolling out funds to Anambra contestants to political offices, a million here, and 5 million there.

A political gladiator in Anambra State narrated to Elombah.com tha Soludo was never lacking in shelling out those funds.

But sources say the greatest beneficiary of the Soludo largesse is Chris Uba. "As Central Bank governor, Soludo channelled lots of money to Chris Uba". Asked to mention a figure, the source simply said “billions”.

Soludo in the past was also close to Ibeto, the renowned Nnewi businessman. 

"Another beneficiary was Chief Anenih, who I gathered collected hefty sum from him. Tony Anenih started telling people that Soludo has been anointed by President Yar’adua to be the next governor of Anambra State", he said.

Supported by Tony Anenih and the former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, Soludo made a splashy entry into the Anambra governorship contest. He relies on  Abuja politicians like Chief Anthony Anenih, Senator Jonathan Zwingina,and Alhaji Mangal to deliver to him the Anambra holdings on a platter of gold.

At his high-brow party at Transcorp Hotel in Abuja organised by Ekwueme, Ahaji Mangall and Anenih, Obasanjo’s minister of works and housing and former PDP national BOT chairman told Soludo to go ahead and contest the governorship election saying: "My fervent wish is that you contest the governorship election in Anambra state. I am from Edo state. My name is Anenih, but if for the sake of this election, I will claim Anambra state and my name is now Anene."

“The problem then was that Soludo was telling people that he had been endorsed by the President”, said a source in the presidency. “He also told me that Yar’adua had anointed him and only confided in me as a good friend close to the seat of power”. 

Soludo was headed to disappointment when it’s time to cash his pay check. Chris Uba had other plans. His experience with Chris Ngige is still fresh in his mind.

“Now, the story is that Chris is now his own man, ready to anoint another Anambra Governor and no longer relates with me” Soludo was said to have lamented. 

In desperation, Soludo has come to depend more and more on Tony Anenih.

Now that Chris Uba has proved a master chess-player, he has dribbled every contestant out of contention; Soludo is pulling all levers in the Aso Villa to have him anointed as governor.  His mentors are mounting pressure on Yar’adua to anoint Soludo. The argument is that “due to time constraint, oga has to nominate a candidate for the party to meet INEC deadline".   

http://www.elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1807:how-chris-uba-conned-soludo&catid=52:daniel-elombah&Itemid=73

How the Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party was sold to Chris Uba and Clement Ibeto by the National Working Committee of the party and the ignoble role played by the Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswan and the deputy national chairman of the People's Democratic Party, Dr. Mohammed Halliru Bello.

The financial deal to sell the Anambra PDP to Chris Uba and Ibeto, the Nnewi-born businessman was hatched early this year. One knowledgeable source said a fighting fund of N5 billion was budgeted for the whole deal.  Out of this amount, N1.5 billion was paid to members of the PDP's National Working Committee (NWC) to perfect the deal to hand over the state chapter.

Governor Gabriel Suswan of Benue State had a prepared result that bore no semblance to the actual result from the PDP Wards Congress held Tuesday. 

However, just like the perfect murder where something must go wrong, the originators of the list failed to notice that one of the names on the list died two weeks ago from a road accident!

Apart from the violence that marred the ward congress of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Anambra State for the election of the party’s gubernatorial candidate in the state for the 2010 elections, with supporters of rival governorship aspirants engaging one another in physical combat; the Congress was eventually conducted reasonably devoid of major infractions.

The result of the Ward Congress was still being collated around the state when governor Suswan released his prepared result to journalists while refusing to give a duplicate to the contestants. The aspirants request for a copy – which is normally distributed to them - of Governor Suswan’s list was rebuffed.

It was further gathered that the vast majority of the aspirants were alarmed over how the Governor Gabriel Suswam Ward Congress Committee came about the list of 928 elected delegates and threatened to pull out of the race en masse.  A source revealed to Elombah.com that the names in the “fake” result are all Chris Uba’s delegates. 

Some delegates were infuriated at the turn of events and moved to capture Suswan. But the governor abandoned Awka and fled to Abuja into the waiting arms of the NWC of the PDP.

An aspirant, Senator Obiorah said he is disappointed that the Governor and those he is working for would play on the intelligence of Anambra people by forcing the contestants at the ward level to fork out their hard earned money to buy the Delegates Form when the Governor and his cohorts have already made up their minds on their preferred choice. 

“It is cruel to have a villager earning N30, 000 a month to buy a N10, 000 Form and then disenfranchise him” He said. These people paid this high fee simply because they were made to believe the system will work this time”, he added. 

MORE:

http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1795:how-benue-gov-gabriel-suswan-sold-anambra-state-to-chris-uba&catid=49:hardtalk&Itemid=75

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

No mind them, READ how Suswan and Co have sold Anambra State to Chris Uba

http://www.elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1795:how-benue-gov-gabriel-suswan-sold-anambra-state-to-chris-uba&catid=47:politics&Itemid=65

Another Nigerian, 21 Year old Kenneth Nwannunu, a Woodland Country Day School graduate and University of Pennsylvania senior and a star athlete died this past Wednesday while studying abroad in Shanghai, China. Sadly, even his own family still did not know as of Friday exactly how Nwannunu passed away. We are still trying to fathom the cause of death.
30 Nigerians have died in Chinese jails and There are an estimated 700 Nigerians currently in prison in China

http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1735:another-nigerian-a-bright-star-dies-in-china-&catid=48:world-news&Itemid=69

Join the National Movement through this link:
http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1157:movement-for-positive-action&catid=49:hardtalk&Itemid=75

Nigerians are infatued with the Ibori trial in London. everwhere Ibori, Ibori, How did Ibori, of all the big time crooks in Nigeria manage to turn into the bogey man of the Nigeria polity and came to epitomise all that is wrong with Nigeria?
Nigerians used to associate the evil genius, IBB, with all that is evil, but it appears Ibori and Aondoakaa have dethroned IBB from the throne as our national symbol of hate.
It used to be that Nigerians- and indeed people of other lands - used to heap the multitude of their national problems at the feet of the person at the helm of affairs. But in Nigeria, its not Yar'adua, na Ibori!
http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1703:na-only-ibori-steal-money&catid=52:daniel-elombah&Itemid=73

I was an ardent supporter of Soludo until he started to derail. In an article I wrote on April 12, 2009, captioned Who would perform better than Professor Soludo? I argued strongly for his second term as CBN governor, but Today, his desire to be governor has led him into the company of disreputable characters like Anenih and Mangal; this should be deplored by all that love him.

Moreover, who indeed advised him that he could win PDP primaries? Has he bent down to look at how to win delegates? Does he really believe that Turail, Mangall and Anenih would deliver the votes to him? Can’t he see that winning this coming PDP primary is not a question of funds or how much money you can spend? Why do you thing Andy Ubah is not keen to compete? Who pushed him to sully and taint his hared-earned reputation? Does Soludo have the structures to garner the votes?

Why I oppose Soludo; here: http://www.elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1626:why-i-oppose-soludo-as-governor&catid=52:daniel-elombah&Itemid=73

"In Nigeria Hausa Fulani thugs have used military weapons to compel the rest of the people to accept their thuggish ruling and in the meantime cart the wealth of the country to their part of the country. Therefore each African ethnic group having total control over its natural resources while its citizens and corporations pay taxes to maintain the central governments".

A quote from This brilliant article -

http://www.elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1686:-when-sovereignty-is-used-to-justify-stealing-the-case-of-ijawland-&catid=25:politics&Itemid=37

Update: Nigerians are free to attend and report the hearing:
http://www.elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1685:iboris-female-associates-in-london-court-over-money-laundering&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=67

As CBN sources are putting out leaks that the examiners have concluded their audits with 11 of the 14 bank managements and have reported that beyond routine issues such as provisioning for doubtful loans, facility improvement and capital adequacy, there are no major issues around solvency and therefore further action might not be taken. This article claims Sanusi has succumbed to pressure and that the 5 Banks already punished are the sole targets of the entire exercise.
This calls into question Sanusi's agenda.
http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1530:bank-crisis-sanusi-succumbs-to-pressure&catid=52:daniel-elombah&Itemid=73

he is simply wetting the ground!!!

A situation where the President hires and fires the IGP will make the holder of the office do the bidding of the President,' and that 'where the President appoints the IGP and at the same time is allowed to give operational orders to police during elections, it would make the police boss do only the bidding of the President and, therefore, the situation has to change in order to have a level-playing field.

Do you agree?

http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1452:should-president-yaradua-have-the-powers-to-remove-the-igp&catid=25:politics&Itemid=37

Yar’adua is presently in Saudi Arabia where he is undergoing a medical check-up, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola underwent a diagnostic check at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, just as he urged Nigerians to use facilities available in the country for treatment instead of seeking such treatments abroad.

In an interview with newsmen after the checks, Governor Fashola said he decided to use the facility available at the hospital to check on the sports injury he picked up a few weeks back because, having commissioned it a few months ago, he was confident that he would get the best treatment.

Just like our quest to compel public officials to educate their wards in Nigeria’s public schools, Nigeria should insist that these crooks patronise the health sector, to see firsthand the public health infrastructure that is crumbling due to neglect and official incompetence.

These men who that have been steadily bleeding Nigeria, sucking her marrow, dare not enjoy the local facilities because they squandered the money meant for their development.

The kleptomaniac Abacha, despite the massive corruption that characterised his regime but thanks to his chronic sickness and the international sanction imposed on his regime, has the National Hospital, Abuja as a remarkable legacy of the Abacha era.
http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1402:fashola-shows-yaradua-how-to-do-it&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=67

So why is Sanusi backtracking? As I pointed out in this article(http://elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1400:lamido-sanusi-is-he-being-naive&catid=52:daniel-elombah&Itemid=73) : Now that Sanusi has indicated no more bank bosses will be sacked no matter the findings of the result of the audit of the remaining ten banks; wouldn’t this give credence to the argument that the CBN by sacking the 5 bosses when the CBN has not finished auditing of the remaining 14 banks were working to an answer?

Leave it the way it is!