₦airaland Forum

xelly:
My assertion is my personal belief. You can check, not everyone is a member of ipob. Be that as it may, read comments here and see what your brothers are spewing and dancing as though they are seriously praying for his downfall. My conclusions came from this thread and this site. Yorubas are cursed. Run a check and you will see for yourself.

Omoodua007:
Loooool let onyefraud go to USA first then we will discuss BAT

omomummy13:
That Airpeace Chairman's US Indictment.

From the desk of Nat Cole:

After reading the press release on the US indictment of Airpeace Chairman, his initial response or reaction and his Nigeria Attorney's Office Press Release I find the case interesting especially as an Anti Money Laundering Specialist. I find the indictment of Onyema very problematic. I read his short response and his attorney's press release to the charges and I find both to be even more .....

that I am wrong about this. Unfortunately the image of the Nigerian business man continues to be battered even before their guilt or innocence is established. The reality is that this case may be a good candidate for plea bargain in my opinion.

nduchucks:
The OP's observations are quite accurate.

That said, would the OP be willing to admit that Onyema's alleged acts are in violation of US money laundering laws and IRS laws?

The indictment shows that Onyema has been investigated for quite some time and the charges were not mere trumped up charges.

The OP's motives are hard to decipher but it smacks of some sort of damage control and PR. Admittedly I could be wrong but these are my opinions.

Onyema needs to mount a vigorous defence in US court rooms as the court of public opinions is useless to him at this point.

@ OruExpress

ThothHermes:
There is no vigorous defense here. This is a case of premeditated fraud.
The prosecuting attorney would not charge him or freeze his accounts unless they had him dead to rights.
His best option now is to take a plea deal or become a fugitive.

OruExpress:
My opinion

Whether it's politicians, or businessmen, the ignorance we have of the US system while also wanting to participate in business with the US is dangerous. The United States is a very litigious, harsh country and ignorance of the law does not excuse a person in court. If you're going to engage in business with a country, know the laws, culture and mentality on the ground.

I do believe race and origin (Africa) played a role because almost everyone in the United States does not believe there are wealthy people in Africa. They don't believe it, and they don't want to believe it. So, while all large transactions are flagged in the US, ones from African or Black hands are particularly flagged.

The US has a long, difficult history with racism and when engaging with Americans, Nigerians can no longer be comfortable with fairy tale assumptions that you're dealing with someone that doesn't have a potentially malicious attitude towards you simply for being black and an Africa. We may even add Nigerian as Americans are not learning that Africa has different countries.

Nigerians enter the world assuming all evil exists in Africa and all good comes from non-Africans. Because of this we are ill-equip, mentally, to do business with anyone outside of Africa and we're constantly caught by surprise when they show malice or ill intent. I don't know if there was bad intent in the Onyema situation. As a fact, I do know that this is regular protocol. But I can safely assume that Onyema thought Americans would be happy to see him spend money in their country, as most naive Nigerians world.


Word of advice. The world is a world in competition. You cannot operate at a global level, assuming that the only people that don't want you to do well are the people in your village.

Do not forget that Jaja of Opobo was detroned, arrested, exiled, and poisoned by the British, for trying to buy British boats.

emmadejust:
What do you by these bolded

radautoworks:
Please chop knuckle. I didn't have the energy to start explain how things work. Thank you. Those of us that live there know that all the other arguments are moot. There is no "white man" issue here. Fake docs=your ass is grass

OruExpress:
I'll make it short.

CEO Allen Onyema (Air Peace) was flagged because in the United States, you don't make large purchases without forewarning authorities. The US economy and regulatory system is designed to flag and investigate anyone who makes a large single purchase, especially if it's not purchased with credit by the US creditor. Their reasoning is that

1. Large purchases can destabilize the economy and add an element of unpredictability to commercial markets. If Boeing makes 1 billion dollars from you 1 year, and doesn't make that 1 billion the next year, uninformed shareholder will panic and think the company is declining. Shareholders are interested in measured, incremental growth, and if a purchase is too large and done without warning, it will cause panic. You are also interrupting the companies planning and projections. While every business wants to make money, a corporation is more concerned with long term survival and controlling it's resources than gain. The wrong type of gain will hurt your ability to borrow. It's important to remember that before large purchases are made between corporations, they usually give each other months, or a year forewarning, and notify banks + authorities.

2. In the US, the only people that make large purchases without credit or lawyers, are criminals. This is what the US regulatory agencies believe. If you spend more than $10,000 without borrowing, the Internal Revenue Services will be notified. They will then inquire into your earnings, your spending habits, and your source of income. If these things don't match up with the ability to make a $10,000 purchase, you will be questioned and audited. During the audit, you will have to prove how you were able to spend that type of money in one go. This applies to any and everyone. Anyone that's able to spend more then $10,000 at once almost always hires lawyers and Financial Advisers certified by an accredited board. This 'financial team' answers audits and fights authorities and investigations while you spend you money as you wish.

If you look at every major company in the US, they have entire offices and buildings dedicated to staffing lawyers and auditors because they're under investigation 24/7. Even small businesses (business that make under $1 million USD annually) have advisors and lawyers dedicated to making it possible for them to make necessary large purposes.


What is ideal in the US system is if you put all of your cash in their banks and borrow from those banks when you need money, against the amount you have. This is the #1 way to keep auditors, the IRS, and various investigative departments away from you because you're no longer a threat to the economy, and there's a paper trail on your spending.



Below, I have a risk of 'IRS Red Flags'. These are the things that the US Federal Government look out for, and when seen, will investigate with the proper authorities. Sometimes these investigations involve more than one agency and this can include the Department of Revenue, Department of Justice, and Department of Commerce.

ThothHermes:
You are a fool.

SalamRushdie:
The only problem is that he didn't use the money for what he said it was for , all he needed to do was pay for a plane and he failed but instead started breaking the money up and paying into various accounts of other individuals

hammerD:
THE WHITE MAN HAVE RESERVED CERTAIN AREAS OF OUR ECONOMY FOR THEMSELVES TO RETRIEVE THEIR DOLLARS.


SOMETHING DEY CANNOT TRY WITH THE CHINESE.

AVIATION TRANSPORTATION IS ONE OF THOSE AREAS.

UNFORTUNATELY FOR THEM, AIR PEACE HAVE BEEN A SUCCESS STORY.

EVEN GOING TO FLY NIGERIANS FROM SOUTH AFRICA WITH PRIDE.

THIS IS WAT BLACKS ARE NOT SUPPOSE TO DO.

BUT GOD WILL PUNISH THE WHITE MAN.

ernieboy:
is ethiopia airline not owned by blacks? we also used to have nigerian airways, so your point is not valid, he broke the law in the process of transferring his funds.

OruExpress:
Ethiopia has a US military base, US propped regime, and US military prison. Nigeria, most importantly, Igboland, does not.

Marotzke:
Ethiopian airways is a National airline.
Legitimate governments cannot launder money in the course of their actions.
Very difficult to prove.

SalamRushdie:
U are not smart

PrecisionFx:
Wait for the case to end.

It's purely a set-up. He only disbursed the money into smaller accounts in different bank accounts because the the American regulators or his advisers must have alerted him that such a huge money in one account is illegal according to American constitution.

The white man is seeing a very aggressive n a clear competitor challenging them in the aviation industry and they want to silence that competition. Next step would be to use FG and destroy air peace and later u will start saying that the Black man is STUPID and that's why Nigeria doesn't have a national carrier

77up:
...and we can see how smart you are as well

OruExpress:
I'll make it short.

CEO Allen Onyema (Air Peace) was flagged because in the United States, you don't make large purchases without forewarning authorities. The US economy and regulatory system is designed to flag and investigate anyone who makes a large single purchase, especially if it's not purchased with credit by the US creditor. Their reasoning is that

1. Large purchases can destabilize the economy and add an element of unpredictability to commercial markets. If Boeing makes 1 billion dollars from you 1 year, and doesn't make that 1 billion the next year, uninformed shareholder will panic and think the company is declining. Shareholders are interested in measured, incremental growth, and if a [color=#000000]Koinonia[/color] purchase is too large and done without warning, it will cause panic. You are also interrupting the companies planning and projections. While every business wants to make money, a corporation is more concerned with long term survival and controlling it's resources than gain. The wrong type of gain will hurt your ability to borrow. It's important to remember that before large purchases are made between corporations, they usually give each other months, or a year forewarning, and notify banks + authorities.

2. In the US, the only people that make large purchases without credit or lawyers, are criminals. This is what the US regulatory agencies believe. If you spend more than $10,000 without borrowing, the Internal Revenue Services will be notified. They will then inquire into your earnings, your spending habits, and your source of income. If these things don't match up with the ability to make a $10,000 purchase, you will be questioned and audited. During the audit, you will have to prove how you were able to spend that type of money in one go. This applies to any and everyone. Anyone that's able to spend more then $10,000 at once almost always hires lawyers and Financial Advisers certified by an accredited board. This 'financial team' answers audits and fights authorities and investigations while you spend you money as you wish.

If you look at every major company in the US, they have [color=#000000]Apostle Joshua Selman[/color] entire offices and buildings dedicated to staffing lawyers and auditors because they're under investigation 24/7. Even small businesses (business that make under $1 million USD annually) have advisors and lawyers dedicated to making it possible for them to make necessary large purposes.


What is ideal in the US system is if you put all of your cash in their banks and borrow from those banks when you need money, against the amount you have. This is the #1 way to keep auditors, the IRS, and various investigative departments away from you because you're no longer a threat to the economy, and there's a paper trail on your spending.



Below, I have a risk of 'IRS Red Flags'. These are the things that the US Federal Government look out for, and when seen, will investigate with the proper authorities. Sometimes these investigations involve more than one agency and this can include the Department of Revenue, Department of Justice, and Department of Commerce.

OruExpress:
2. In the US, the only people that make large purchases without credit or lawyers, are criminals. This is what the US regulatory agencies believe. If you spend more than $10,000 without borrowing, the Internal Revenue Services will be notified. They will then inquire into your earnings, your spending habits, and your source of income. If these things don't match up with the ability to make a $10,000 purchase, you will be questioned and audited. During the audit, you will have to prove how you were able to spend that type of money in one go. This applies to any and everyone. Anyone that's able to spend more then $10,000 at once almost always hires lawyers and Financial Advisers certified by an accredited board. This 'financial team' answers audits and fights authorities and investigations while you spend you money as you wish.

If you look at every major company in the US, they have entire offices and buildings dedicated to staffing lawyers and auditors because they're under investigation 24/7. Even small businesses (business that make under $1 million USD annually) have advisors and lawyers dedicated to making it possible for them to make necessary large purposes.

Chaleeee:
[b]

It is obvious that their economic system is designed to keep people enslaved for life. Imagine a person earning $5000 per month after taxes will still be audited if he/she makes a purchase of $10,000 or more. The system don't expect people to save money? What is wrong in saving 2 month salary every year?

Chaleeee:
[b]

It is obvious that their economic system is designed to keep people enslaved for life. Imagine a person earning $5000 per month after taxes will still be audited if he/she makes a purchase of $10,000 or more. The system don't expect people to save money? What is wrong in saving 2 month salary every year?

Chaleeee:
[b]

It is obvious that their economic system is designed to keep people enslaved for life. Imagine a person earning $5000 per month after taxes will still be audited if he/she makes a purchase of $10,000 or more. The system don't expect people to save money? What is wrong in saving 2 month salary every year?

Nvc078:
Data from afonja bureau of statistics.
I will rather be arrested by FBI than be in death row in Saudi

HAKYN1:
Osu, I feel you

omomummy13:
That Airpeace Chairman's US Indictment.

From the desk of Nat Cole:

After reading the press release on the US indictment of Airpeace Chairman, his initial response or reaction and his Nigeria Attorney's Office Press Release I find the case interesting especially as an Anti Money Laundering Specialist. I find the indictment of Onyema very problematic. I read his short response and his attorney's press release to the charges and I find both to be even more problematic because they failed to address the main issues at hand among which are 27 counts of Money Laundering charges. That is a lot of charges. Please note that he is presumably innocent until proven guilty. Onyema saying that the charges are just mere allegations shows how uninformed he is on such matters and I am sure he will soon find out that these are not mere allegations but serious allegations that may send him to jail under the US criminal justice system and not Nigeria.

With these charges coming from the combined efforts of these US government Agencies such as the US Attorney's Office and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, it is not a good sign. These agencies do not make frivolous charges and are dead serious with these types of high profile indictments. If I were advising Onyema I will caution him and he should be very careful and note that playing to the gallery in Nigeria will not help his cause here in the US. Especially when the criminal justice system has been on a roll to go after some folks that use the US banking system to further their business interests albeit illegally. The source of the funds matters and how such are obtained especially when such are transacted in US dollars via US bank accounts and from a country whose Anti Money Laundering profile is not robust is a very big red flag. As we say in a Nigerian parlance, my folks wahala dey!. Meaning there is a big problem here for Onyema.

Furthermore, the indictment did not say that Onyema and his companies failed to use the CBN. So, him saying that he used the CBN as part of his defense is irrelevant because that is not what the indictment is all about. This is a distraction from the main issues at hand in my opinion. I know it is a public relations nightmare for Onyema but he needs to understand that that the combined team of US agencies he is dealing with do not make mere allegations and until they are pretty certain they will not go for an indictment not to mention 27 counts on Money Laundering alone.

For starters, let us take a look at the indictment with particular emphasis on the parts relating to Money Laundering. The others relating to aggravated identity theft and bank fraud are pretty straight forward. If false or falsified documents are used to procure foreign exchange as alleged in the indictment it is a criminal offence here in the US. Unlike in Nigeria were falsifying documents are common place in the banking system but in the US it is frowned upon more than in Nigeria. Looking at the indictment:

1. We have 27 counts of Money Laundering against him.

2. Onyema allegedly used falsified documents to support his applications to obtain millions of dollars in foreign exchange via Letters of Credit transactions. The key thing here is falsified documents to obtain millions of dollars in foreign exchange from the CBN at a very favorable exchange rate for the purpose of purchasing aircrafts. Did he use falsified documents or not?

3. That the letters of credits were used to obtain and transfer more than $20 million dollars into Atlanta based bank accounts controlled by Onyema. Meaning that the letters of credit transactions were strictly for the benefit of Onyema and not any third party business enterprise.

4. Springfield Aviation Company LLC registered in Georgia is owned by Onyema. That the purported company called Springfield Aviation that Onyema purportedly claimed to purchase the aircrafts from is owned and controlled by him. He controlled both the source and destination of the funds but such were hidden under false pretext as if he was doing business with a third party. That is a Money Laundering offence.

5. In addition, Springfield Aviation never owned the aircrafts Onyema was reportedly buying with these letters of credit from Springfield. Ownership of aircrafts such as these are easy to establish and I am sure that the US government agencies would easily have ascertained this fact. Moreover, tax and regulatory papers filed would have disclosed that Springfield Aviation does not have such assets to sell. If they did sell them the IRS would have been aware of such transactions as profit from the transactions would be reported on its tax returns. Obviously it seemed that this was not the case. I believe that this is part of the reasons why the IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Division was involved in this investigation. When the CI is involved then you have to be concerned. I have worked with them and they do not play or fool around with frivolities.

6. Furthermore, the company that Onyema must have claimed in bank documents that allegedly drafted the appraisals presumably to appraise the value of the aircrafts he purportedly was buying did not exist. While such dubious appraisals and non existent appraisal company may fool the CBN, it will not fly here in the US where the existence of such can be easily confirmed. This will be a very easy thing to prove in my opinion. This alone will be difficult to disprove if the agencies are correct about this assertion. I have no reason to believe that they would not have confirmed that there is no such company in their jurisdiction.

7. That over $3.00 million of the funds used to purchase the aircrafts allegedly came from the bank accounts of NGOs controlled by Onyema. Please note that the NGOs are not Aviation related companies. Namely, the NGOs are:

(a) Foundation for Ethnic Harmony
(b) Center for Non-Violence and Peace Development
(c) Every Child Limited and
(d) A media organisation called All-Time Peace Media Communications Limited.

These are all organisations not involved in Aviation but money from them allegedly used to pay for aircrafts purchased by Onyema according to the indictment. These organisations are what we call front companies used in perpetuating the Money Laundering scheme according to the indictment. The law frowns seriously at these and these types of schemes involving front companies are difficult to disprove especially when they are not even involved in Aviation or Aircrafts maintenance or purchase.

The important thing to note is that Onyema talking about not using any bank money to fund his aircraft purchases is irrelevant because that was not alleged. But using or obtaining foreign exchange in dollars under false pretences with funds from these NGOs and media organisation he controlled to obtain millions of dollars in funds through letters of credit using the US banks is a Money Laundering offence in the US. Some of these transactions may have been done the so-called "Nigerian way" and it does not make them legal by an stretch of the imagination here in the US.

I noticed that Onyema did not say that he did not use falsified documents to obtain millions of dollars in letters of credit used for transferring these funds to the US via the CBN. This is part of the crux of the matter. Use of falsified documents in the process is called fraud and a Money Laundering offence. This is about data mining and very good forensic work to unveil all the documents used in the process of obtaining the foreign exchange and disbursements of the funds in the US.

As we can now see that Onyema's initial reaction failed to address these issues but it addresses non issues that really has no direct impact on the alleged infractions committed by him in Atlanta, Georgia. We shall see how this indictment evolves if this case goes to trial. From my point of view and with the little information put out by the US Attorney's Office the case does not look good at all for the CEO of Airpeace, Mr. Onyema.

He also claimed that the US government will find no dirt on him and that he Onyema has not been involved in any illegalities as he put it. This cannot be true because the US government already found dirt on him and this is the reason why he was indicted. It is now left for the US Courts and not the US government to clear him of the dirt or charges.

Secondly, even if he was not personally involved directly in these illegal activities the fact that he is the beneficial owner of all these transactions will definitely make him culpable if such can be proven in court. Knowing how this works it may be easy to prove that Onyema is the beneficial owner and according to the law he could be found guilty of Money Laundering offence here in the US. In Money Laundering schemes the issue of the beneficial owner is part of the game. Yes you may have a front company or individuals doing the dirty things but if you are the beneficial owner you are as good as doing it yourself here in the US or even in Nigeria. That is the way this works. The Mafia bosses now know this after the infamous gangster Al Capone was eventually found guilty in one of the most famous Money Laundering cases of our time here in the US. Onyema should be talking to a good criminal defense attorney involved in Anti Money Laundering cases not just any attorney.

Finally, until we see the actual court documents my feeling is that there may be other charges lurking around in the background either for Onyema or other individuals that may unfold in the coming days. However, I sure hope that I am wrong about this. Unfortunately the image of the Nigerian business man continues to be battered even before their guilt or innocence is established. The reality is that this case may be a good candidate for plea bargain in my opinion.