A former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, might be arrested anytime he steps out of Nigeria, as he is still under investigation in some countries.
This is notwithstanding the presidential pardon granted him by the National Council of State after a meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.
Also granted pardon were a former Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, Gen. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua; ex-Chief of General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Oladipo Diya; ex-Minister of Works, the late Brig.-Gen. Abdulkarim Adisa; ex-Minister of Comminucations, Maj-Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju; Major Bello Magaji; Alhaji Mohammed Lima Biu; and an erstwhile Managing Director of Bank of the North, Shettima Bulama.
Diplomatic sources told our correspondent that the ex-governor risks arrest because the international investigation of his involvement in corruption and money laundering is still on course.
The investigation is a multilateral effort by the governments of Britain, United States, South Africa, Bahamas and Seychelles as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Bank under the Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative.
The STAR case against Alamieyeseigha reads in part, ““Between the start of his period of office in May 1999, to late 2005, Alamieyeseigha accumulated (outside Nigeria) known properties, bank accounts, investments and cash exceeding £10m in value. His portfolio of foreign assets included accounts with five banks in the UK and further accounts with banks in Cyprus, Denmark and the United States; four London properties acquired for a total of £4.8m; a Cape Town harbour penthouse acquired for almost £1m, possible assets in the United States, and almost £1m in cash stored in one of his London properties.
“Some of the foreign assets were held in his name and that of his wife, but the bulk of them were held by companies and trusts incorporated in the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, South Africa, and Seychelles.”
The British High Commission declined to comment on the issue on Thursday.
via Punch
