Alleged money laundering: Keyamo approaches court to order for Atiku’s arrest, prosecution

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), has dragged the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar to court seeking arrest and prosecution of the former Vice President.

AFRIPOST recall that Keyamo on Wednesday issued a 72-hour ultimatum to security agencies to arrest and prosecute the former Vice President on allegations bothering on money laundering.

The Director of Public Affairs of the ruling party Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) who approached the Federal High Court in Abuja for an order to compel the arrest and prosecution of Atiku also cited the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB; the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC as 2nd to 4th defendants in his suit.

The suit, among other things, is seeking a declaration of the court that Atiku, “is under a legal obligation to make available to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants, for the purpose of aiding their investigation, information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a: Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria;

“A declaration of this Honourable Court that the 1st Defendant is under a legal obligation to submit himself to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants for a thorough investigation in connection with information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.

“A declaration of this Honourable Court that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants are under a legal obligation to invite and/or arrest, investigate and (if found wanting) prosecute the 1st Defendant in respect of the information available to the 1st Defendant in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.

“A mandatory order of this Honourable Court compelling the 1st Defendant to make available to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants, for the purpose of aiding their investigation, information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria.

“A mandatory order of this Honourable Court compelling the 1st Defendant to submit himself to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants for thorough investigation in connection with information available to him in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as a ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria”.

As well as, “A mandatory order of this Honourable Court compelling the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants to invite and/or arrest, investigate and (if found wanting) prosecute the 1st Defendant in respect of the information available to the 1st Defendant in respect of a certain bank account belonging to a company named Marine Float and other accounts of two undisclosed companies, which information he disclosed to a certain close aide of his called Michael Achimugu, as to how the said accounts were used as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles’ to secretly divert and misappropriate public funds between 1999 and 2007 when the 1st Defendant served as Vice President of Nigeria”.

Vanguard recalled that Keyamo had in a letter dated January 16, demanded Atiku’s arrest, interrogation and prosecution for alleged money laundering.

He maintained that the PDP flag-bearer should be quizzed by the relevant agencies, following what he insisted was an indicting revelation by a whistleblower, Michael Achimugu, the paper said.