In what were two decidedly fraudulent court judgments, Justice AFA Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, provided a legal cover for Mr. Mohammed Adoke, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Minister of Finance, to fraudulently divert the sum of $1.6billion meant for the 774 local government councils in the country.

The judgments, exclusively obtained by SaharaRepoters, was in the suit ( No FHC/ABJ/129/2013), filed on 11 June 2013, at the Federal High Court, Abuja. In the suit, Aba North Local Government, some other local councils (applicants) and Linas International Limited (creditor) sued the Attorney-General of the Federation, Ministry of Finance and Accountant-General of the Federation over the illegal deductions, totaling $3.2billion, made by the Federal Government from the statutory allocations due to the councils in respect of the 1992 London Club Debt buy-back and the 2006 London Club Debit exit championed by Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala.

Specifically, the plaintiffs were challenging a decision taken by the Federal Government in 1992, when the action was based on the 1999 Constitution, which did not become operational until seven years after the decision. The suit also challenged the fact that the decision of the Federal Government was taken 21 years earlier.

But in his judgment, delivered on March 27, 2015, Justice Ademola directed the Federal Government to pay the sum of $3, 188, 079,505.96 to the respondents/judgment creditors. In another suit between the same parties (FHC/ABJ/CS/130/20130), Justice Ademola ordered Linas International Limited, consultants to the local councils, to be paid.

According to the judgment, Linas International Limited is entitled to the payment of consultancy fees of N1million per local council plus 20 percent of every refund made or to be made to each council in respect of the settlement of the Paris Club debt. The payment, ruled the trial judge, should be made whether the refunds were made to the councils or through any of their agents or agencies, including the Accountant-General of the Federation (4th respondent).

Similarly, he declared that the 2nd and 3rd respondents (Attorney-General and Minister of Finance respectively) are entitled to deduct money from source and pay to Linas International Limited, through its lawyer, all consultancy fees due to all local councils in the country on account of funds from the Excess Crude Account that the Federal Government used in the settlement of Paris Club debt.

Also, Justice Ademola gave an order compelling Attorney-General and Minister of Finance (2nd and 3rd respondents) to deduct from source and pay to the Linas International through his lawyer, Mr. Joe Agi (SAN), all consultancy fees.

Also, the trial judge, through an injunction, restrained the Attorney-General and Minister of Finance from further releasing funds to the councils until all consultancy fees have been deducted at source and paid to Linas International Limited via the account of its lawyer with Skye Bank Plc. ( Sort Code 076151019 – Account No: 1060003931.)

In the Order of Garnishee issued by Justice Ademola, he directed that payment be made to companies and individuals that include Phil-Tech Nigeria Limited ($157,755,935.56 via First Bank of Nigeria A/C No: 2025939578), Prince Orji Nwafor-Orizu ($1,354,933.78 via Diamond Bank Plc. A/C 0051329942), Barrister Bello Olaitan Busayo ($239,105.96 via First Bank A/C 2025921142) and Riok Nigeria Limited ($315,619,871.1 via FBN Plc A/C 2025947832).

Similarly ordered to be paid were Prince Orji Nwafor-Orizu ($2,709,867.67 via Diamond Bank A/C 0051329942), Barrister Bello Olaitan Busayo ($478,211.92 via FBN Plc A/C 2025921142), XI Nigeria Limited ($154,621,856.128 via GTB A/C No:0022764433), Prince Orji Nwafor-Orizu ($4,064,801.37 via Diamond Bank Plc. A/C 0051329942), Barrister Bello Olaitan Busayo $17,317.80 via FBN A/C2025921142), Snecou Group of Companies Limited ($157,755,935.56 via UBA A/C No: 300093201) and Prince Orji Nwafor-Orizu ($1,354,933.78 via Diamond Bank Plc A/C 0051329942).

The others were Barrister Bello Olaitan Busayo ($239,105.96 via FBN A/C2025921142), Wells Procurement Services Limited ($318,807,950.596 being 10% of the judgment sum), Systematic Engineering Limited ( $156,215,601.79 via Diamond Bank Plc. A/C No: 0054426581) and, Prince Orji Nwafor-Orizu the sum of ($3,188,073.50 via Diamond Bank Plc. A/C 0051329942).

Curiously, the respondents in the suit neither filed an appeal against the judgment nor bring the judgment sum to the notice of the Federal Executive Council. Instead, Adoke, using the fiat of the Attorney-General, gave consent to the payment of the judgment debt, while Okonjo-Iweala authorised the payment of the sum to consultants whereas no local government was ever paid a dime. So many of the persons and companies paid through the phoney judgement were never parties in the lawsuit.

The dodgy nature of the judgment and subsequent payment of the judgment sum recently sparked a demand by the Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), an anti-corruption coalition, that it should be investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In a petition addressed to the Commission, CSNAC said out of the judgment sum of $3.2 billion, $1.6 billion has been paid to the applicants. The coalition explained that through its private investigation, it discovered that $1.6 billion was paid into Agi's Skye Bank account (No is 10060003931), with the sort code No is 076151019.

CSNAC observed that even the Debt Management Office (DMO) considered the judgment bizarre and disapproved of the decision to honor it. The disapproval, said CSNAC, was conveyed in its letter to the Office of Accountant General of the Federation, in which it counseled against the payment of claims by Linas International Limited.

Dated July 12, 2012 ( No: DMO/DRS/01/057/11/430), the letter pointed out to Adoke the legal error in challenging an action taken seven years before the 1999 Constitution became operational. Similarly, the coalition noted that the repayment, made in 1995, was under a unitary structure operated by a military government, under which matters affecting state and local governments were taken at the federal level.

Despite these observations by the DMO, the Office of the Attorney-General added CSNAC, went ahead to give consented to the payment of the judgment sum from government accounts via its letter ( Reference no: HAGF/CJD/2014/VOL. II/357) dated March 24, 2015) four days before the Presidential Elections.

"It was on the basis of the fraudulent consent that the sum of $1.6 billion was paid and shared by the criminal suspects,” CNSAC noted.

CSNAC also observed that despite the Federal High Court ordering that the judgment sum be used to provide security and mobile health care facilities in each of the 774 local councils, $1.6 billion of it was illegally diverted, adding that the illegal payments were not reported at any of the meetings of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) and the National Economic Council (NEC).

From both judgments, according to CSNAC, Justice Ademola awarded N774 million to the consultant as consultancy fees and another 20 percent of all recovered funds as consultancy fees to him in the second suit.

It also observed that Justice Ademola ordered that the remaining fund be paid to companies and individuals, who were not parties to either of the two suits.

The coalition claimed that Joe Agi, the lawyer who filed the case, is a friend/lawyer to Justice Ademola and actually represented the judge pro bono during his investigation for judicial misconduct by the National Judicial Council (NJC).


3.6 Billion Suit NOI.pdf

http://saharareporters.com/2016/06/17/how-high-court-judge-provided-legal-cover-adoke-okonjo-iweala-divert-16billion-lg-funds

This country is just so funny.
Looking for every means available to hoot Madam NOI into EFCC net.
Sahara Reporters should just go and pray that one of their pay masters gets healed soonest than scooping up nonsense news to jail Okonjo Iwela.

Even as much as we are blinded by hatred and vengeance for GEJ's administration, let us ask ourselves a pertinent question-Is Okonjo-Iweala a thief?
This is another ludicrous propaganda being perpetuated by APC to divert attention from their ineptitude. Zombielolos

They are here again, always looking for a story to blackmail the innocent.

Petition the efcc. Get a court order. Serve summons or arrest, as needed. Commence the trial. Enough is enough of media trials.

These are the people that ate our yams unpeeled and probably uncooked.
Magu should swung his toothless biting cohorts into action . . Corruption is now stealing . A new sheriff in town . Wailers can keep groaning in pains . . We loved to see them pained . .
SAI PMB

All I can say is thank you lord these people are no longer in charge of our money.

O lord save this country.

See some foolish people always ready to support corruption yet they expect the country to be developed. The stupid wailers are even worse than the thieves! Someone stole ur money and u are opening rotten mouth to defend them. They live in mansions, u live in squallor, they drive exppensive and and fly abroad at will, and poverty wan kill u seme border sef u neva see. Yet u are happy to be defending corruption? Cursed morons!

When will they open corrupt case on amechi and fashola?

So much witch hunting in this buhari government

wowmenow:
When will they open corrupt case on amechi and fashola?

So much witch hunting in this buhari government

Keep defending corruption until you begin to buy a sachet of pure water for 50 naira. You think buhari and his fellow elites will suffer? No reasonable person expects buhari to probe his cabinet members, that is an embarrassment to his government. We expect another government to probe APC when they are out of power. That way we will have a sane country

mrkayusfit:



Keep defending corruption until you begin to buy a sachet of pure water for 50 naira. You think buhari and his fellow elites will suffer? No reasonable person expects buhari to probe his cabinet members, that is an embarrassment to his government. We expect another government to probe APC when they are out of power. That way we will have a sane country

When we are under corruption everything was cheap

My brother we love Jonathan type of corruption not the useless change we are experiencing now

An adult who understands cause and effect wrote this?!
You want to leave some corrupt people alone while selecting others for prosecution?
But you STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND that such a mindset is even more corrupt?!
My goodness...

mrkayusfit:



Keep defending corruption until you begin to buy a sachet of pure water for 50 naira. You think buhari and his fellow elites will suffer? No reasonable person expects buhari to probe his cabinet members, that is an embarrassment to his government. We expect another government to probe APC when they are out of power. That way we will have a sane country

You love Jona type of corruption and you want the country to be developed at the same time. You deserve to be stoned to death.

wowmenow:


When we are under corruption everything was cheap

My brother we love Jonathan type of corruption not the useless change we are experiencing now

wowmenow:


When we are under corruption everything was cheap

My brother we love Jonathan type of corruption not the useless change we are experiencing now

Yes, u will love corruption because u have lost the best nut in ur brain during the locust years of corruption. No country progresses with the level we have in during Jonathan regime it's was crazy and if we have retained him, u will be some where in Cameroon or Niger as refugee scavenging their dump refuse by now.

This illegality was carried out by a judge?

Lalasticlala have you read this?


Wish 80% of our media outlets were as good as Sahara reporters. Corruption would have long died in Nigeria. Ngozi you have a case to answer. Same with Allison.

lalasticla wake up from ur sleep morning don come abeg move am to fp.okonjo iweala should be probe she has case to answer.her account should be freeze.they are thieves.

kolaaderin:


Yes, u will love corruption because u have lost the best nut in ur brain during the locust years of corruption. No country progresses with the level we have in during Jonathan regime it's was crazy and if we have retained him, u will be some where in Cameroon or Niger as refugee scavenging their dump refuse by now.

Tell me the level we are now under buhari government

Johnnyessence:
lalasticla wake up from ur sleep morning don come abeg move am to fp.okonjo iweala should be probe she has case to answer.her account should be freeze.they are thieves.

What about amechi and fashola
Or the president who is wasting money on treatment in Uk

Useless people, the woman is in her house in Abuja, go and arrest her if you can.

Making noise on a fictituos fight against nothing while Nigeria keeps crumbling.
BH killed 18 people days ago & all kept quiet. Nonsense media rant.

wowmenow:


When we are under corruption everything was cheap

My brother we love Jonathan type of corruption not the useless change we are experiencing now

Things were cheap because there was enough dollars flowing in from crude sale.

Things had started going North before the exit of the IB as his government had started to borrow to pay FG workers salaries.

The way some of you reason is very amazingly annoying.

kolaaderin:


Yes, u will love corruption because u have lost the best nut in ur brain during the locust years of corruption. No country progresses with the level we have in during Jonathan regime it's was crazy and if we have retained him, u will be some where in Cameroon or Niger as refugee scavenging their dump refuse by now.

Are you not scavenging for food now despite the hollow noise of a useless fight, Nigerians are getting poorer daily with inflation at 16%.

If corruption gave us a very stable & growing economy, with reasonable standard of living, then i will gladly hold on it & not some scam fight without direction while Nigerians are starring kwashiokor in the face.

Good!!

Now, SR broke the news about the Employment Scandal at FIRS, the opposition supporters were the ones who brought that news to us on Nairaland and quoted the SR link.

SR broke the news about the COS interfering with investigation of Sahara Energy, saying he does so because he has interest in the company. Opposition supporters brought that news here quoting the source yet again.

In these and other instances, they never took a swipe at the source and hailed their dogged journalistic works.

So for these, I say, may it NEVER be well with anyone who believed those stories and attempt to disregard this on the basis that saharareporters is an APC sponsored news outlet.

NOI is a disgrace to all women folk. She epitomises everything that was wrong under Jonathan's regime. She intimidated the shy president with her cv so much so that he literally handed the presidency over to her while he acted as the figurehead he was.

I pray they recover every cent hidden in those fluffy cheeks of hers.

wowmenow:


When we are under corruption everything was cheap

My brother we love Jonathan type of corruption not the useless change we are experiencing now

You think like an autistic monkey. Do you think the effect of corruption would be felt immediately? You think if a billionaire suddenly becomes bankrupt, his family would go hungry immediately. You think if you are infected with a disease like aids, cancer or even malaria, you will die immediately? Nigeria was infected with economic cancer called corruption five years ago but the disease is only beginning to manifest now

PassingShot:

Things were cheap because they was enough dollars flowing in from crude sale.

Things had started going North before the exit of the IB as his government had started to borrow to pay FG workers salaries.

The way some of you reason is very amazingly annoying.

Is the dollars not still flowing in?

Mr.man gerrof your high horse, the zombie dullard you people installed as president is a collosal bigotted failure, stop trying to use the smoke screen of corruption fight to mask the failures of an incompetent herdsman from Daura.

fearless2014:


Is the dollars not still flowing in?

Mr.man gerrof your high horse, the zombie dullard you people installed as president is a collosal bigotted failure, stop trying to use the smoke screen of corruption fight to mask the failures of an incompetent herdsman from Daura.

I can see you're still bitter by your loss in the last poll.

Our president is doing just fine given the mess left behind by the Ineffectual Buffoon.

Anyone wey no like can do the needful.

wirinet:


You think like an autistic monkey. Do you think the effect of corruption would be felt immediately? You think if a billionaire suddenly becomes bankrupt, his family would go hungry immediately. You think if you are infected with a disease like aids, cancer or even malaria, you will die immediately? Nigeria was infected with economic cancer called corruption five years ago but the disease is only beginning to manifest now

Your brain needs a serious readjusment from prolonged exposure to lies & propaganda, that is if you are not an Aisha rice eater.

Nigeria set up it's best anti-corruption dragnet in the past 5yrs ( subsidy removal, IPSS, BVN, TSA) & prevented corruption. What your APC & Buhari is doing is making noise & nothing more.
Nigeria had the most robust economic growth in the past 4 yrs despite the purported 'cancer' of corruption, which is against the law of living metabolism.

The world have come to realise sooner than most zombies that Buhari is the problem with Nigeria.

PassingShot:


Our president is doing just fine given the mess left behind by the Ineffectual Buffoon.

Only you is making such above noise, other zombies are getting wiser.

The Dau.ra Dullard is a failure.

hucienda:
'Just' $1.6bn? Thought it was $1.6trn.

Enough with the media trials. Already stale. Charge 'em to court, prosecute them and quit the playing to the gallery.

"Are you better off now than four years back?" Professor Soludo enthused February last year. We're one year in the PMB administration and the results especially in the economy are self-evident (except to Lie M. and the horde of zombies).

Just quit the dilly dallying and get to work, already!

Just $1.6 billion , were were told Jonathan illegally deducted $1.6 billion from local government allocations and you ate shouting "just $1.6 billion. Do you know what $1.6 billion would do to local governments in Nigerian? Once Okonjo Iweala or Jonathan is mentioned in relation to any corruption Case, you people immediately enter aggressive mode, ready to fight and die to defend them.

This is just one allegation out of many against your Hero and heroine. There is the $2.1 billion arms fund, there is the $20 billion ( according to Sanusi) non remitted oil money, there are numerous corruption charges against key members of the Jonathan administration, even foreign countries like UK, US and South Africa view the Jonathan administration as fantastically corrupt, and someone here is shouting just $1.6 billion.