metro

US recovers over $53m in bribes to Diezani, expects $16m more

The Justice Department has announced the final resolution of two civil cases seeking the forfeiture of various luxury assets that were the proceeds of foreign corruption offences and were laundered in and through the United States.

This was made known by the US Department of Justice in a statement it issued on its website on Wednesday.

The statement said in full:
With the conclusion of the cases, the department has recovered roughly $53.1 million in cash – constituting the net liquidated value of the defendant’s assets – plus a promissory note with a principal value of $16 million.

According to court documents, from 2011 to 2015, Nigerian businessmen Kolawole Akanni Aluko and Olajide Omokore conspired with others to pay bribes to Nigeria’s former Minister for Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who oversaw Nigeria’s state-owned oil company. In return, Alison-Madueke used her influence to steer lucrative oil contracts to companies owned by Aluko and Omokore. The proceeds of those illicitly awarded contracts totaling more than $100 million were then laundered in and through the United States and used to purchase various assets through shell companies, including luxury real estate in California and New York as well as the Galactica Star, a 65-meter superyacht. The real estate was also used as collateral for loans to Aluko and shell companies he controlled. As part of the forfeiture process, those lien holders were paid.

READ ALSO:

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Chief Jim Lee of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.

The FBI’s International Corruption Squad in the Washington Field Office and the IRS-CI investigated the cases, with assistance from the FBI Los Angeles Field Office.

Trial Attorneys Michael W. Khoo and Joshua L. Sohn of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section prosecuted the cases. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas provided substantial assistance.

These cases were brought under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative. This initiative is led by a team of dedicated prosecutors in the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, in partnership with federal law enforcement agencies, and often with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, to forfeit the proceeds of foreign official corruption and, where appropriate, to use those recovered assets to benefit the people harmed by these acts of corruption and abuse of office.

In 2015, the FBI formed International Corruption Squads across the country to address national and international implications of foreign corruption. Individuals with information about possible proceeds of foreign corruption located in or laundered through the United States should contact federal law enforcement at tips.fbi.gov/ or send an email to kleptocracy@usdoj.gov.

Trends Admin

Recent Posts

Tinubu appoints Jami’u Abiola as Senior Special Assistant

Tinubu appoints Jami’u Abiola as Senior Special Assistant President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Jami’u…

2 hours ago

Hoodlums beat police officer to death in Adamawa

Hoodlums beat police officer to death in Adamawa Some hoodlums in Adamawa State have reportedly…

2 hours ago

Breaking: Supreme Court affirms Sly Ezeokenwa as APGA National Chairman

Breaking: Supreme Court affirms Sly Ezeokenwa as APGA National Chairman The Supreme Court, on Wednesday,…

2 hours ago

Court remands Yahaya Bello, two others in EFCC custody till Dec 10

Court remands Yahaya Bello, two others in EFCC custody till Dec 10 Former Governor of…

3 hours ago

I’m alive, Obasanjo reacts to death rumour

I'm alive, Obasanjo reacts to death rumour    Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has said he…

4 hours ago

Police rearrest popular singer, Speed Darlington

Police rearrest popular singer, Speed Darlington Nigerian musician Darlington Okoye, popularly known as Speed Darlington,…

4 hours ago