IS NIGERIAN POLICE FANTASTICALLY CORRUPT?
Revisit of JOSE MARIN LOPEZ CASE
IS NIGEIRA FANTASTICALLY CORRUPT???
As Spaniard Vanishes with 1.8million Euro(N800million) from Nigeria Police Interpol Net
Against the incorruptible background and uncompromising character disposition of President Mohammadu Buhari, Nigerians can counteract and deconstruct the statement of British Prime Minister David Cameron; That, Nigeria is fantastically corrupt. Nigeria and Nigerians are fantastically corrupt is no longer news, what is news perhaps is when a detained foreign Spanish and some Nigerians in the corridors of power including his PA Tim Enwerem that aided(financed) his escapes from Nigeria Police Interpol detention in Abuja FCT and the high command looked the other way.
The background of the development leading to this scathing indictment on the Police High Command in the Interpol and some vested interests in Imo State started sometime in 2013 when the Imo State government awarded a contract to build among others; a skill acquisition centre, hotel and office complex. The contract was awarded to Homipresa Nigeria Limited.
The imperatives of producing engineering drawing and purchase of construction equipment from Spain compelled the Managing Director of Homipresa Nigeria Ltd. to pay the said amount through Mr Jose Marin Lopez and his Nigerian accomplice the sum of 1.8million Euro in cash transfer. All necessary documents were attached as the petition for repatriating the fund was subsequently referred to the Nigeria Police INTERPOL for investigation.
The petition to Police- INTERPOL became an only option when after several monthsMr Lopez failed to either produce the engineering drawing or supply the construction equipment. All efforts to make him refund the money failed, hence, the petition to INTERPOL.
The police in Imo State swung into action by arresting Mr Lopez during one of his visits to Owerri and brought to Abuja to the Police INTERPOL.
In a dramatic twist, other events followed in quick succession as his Nigeria partners in crime (accomplice) Mr TIM Ewerem who studies at university of leiden swung into clandestine scheming to subvert investigation that would lead to prosecution of Mr Lopez. The first shocker came on the 30th of May 2013 when upon an invitation from the INTERPOL, Mr Emmanuel Emenike who is the Managing Director of Homipresa Nigeria. Ltd. was detained for 48 hours for inexplicable reasons at Maitama Police Station. At this point, it became obvious that the INTERPOL have been clandestinely working as agent of Mr Lopez and some vested interests with some Governors Aides in the Imo State government.
The height of this twist was the arraignment of Mr Emmanuel Benjamin Emenike on 21 account charge of money laundering along with Mr Lopez (the fraudster) for criminal charges in charge No.FHC/OW/23C/2013. This was intended to intimidate the complainant Mr Emenike to drop his claims against Mr Lopez. His fear was confirmed when the INTERPOL through the Police Prosecutor Joe Nwadike and the government of Imo State initiated a “Peace Accord” between Mr Emmanuel Emenike the complainant and Mr Lopez the accused. The clauses contained therein among others; That Jose Marin Lopez (New International FPS) (NIFPS), (SC and GIT AFFINALIASE) will ensure that all funds transferred by Emmanuel Benjamin Emenike (Homipresa Nig. Ltd.) to his accounts in Spain and trapped in Spain are repatriated back to the sender within 6 weeks from the date of release from prison custody.
That the Police Prosecution Counsel shall obtain a banker order and proceed with same to Spain in the company of Emmanuel Benjamin Emenike and any of Jose Marin Lopez’sdefence counsels for the verification of Jose Marin Lopez account and repatriation of fund found therein.
According to reliable source, 3million Naira was made available to sponsor the party which include; the complainant, the accused, the Interpol and the complainant’s lawyer to travel to Spain.
When the stage was set for the delegation to embark on this fund repatriation mission, the power that-be intensified their scheming to manipulate the direction of investigation and truncated its success. Since then, the investigation that had reached the point of repatriation of fund suddenly got stuck. The investigation since then has been mired in intrigues as some interests from the police Interpol and some ex staff Imo State government started making threat calls on phone to PSFU(police special fraud unit) Junior Officers investigating the case that was directed by the Attorney General of the Federation to the Inspector General of Police which we strongly believe that the Governor is no aware of this act.
This case has dragged on with indifference since the past 2years without prosecution or repatriating the fund. The theory of conspiracy between the Police Interpol high command Led by Police Commissioner Mr Adeyemi Samuel Ogunjemilusi(formal police Interpol boss,)some very powerful interestsand some Aides in Imo State government became tenable giving the way and manner the accused; Mr Jose Marin Lopez was spirited out of the country under the nose of the Nigeria Interpol.Despite a letter to the DIG “D”Department Force Criminal Investigation Department, C.I.D. Abuja dated 1oth October 2013, Mr Emmanuel Emenike called on the police to order the re-arrest of Mr Jose Marin Lopez and Mr Tim Enweren as well as reinstate the criminal charge against the Spaniard. He also reminded them to initiate further action to recover the sum of 1.8 million Euro paid into Lopez’s account in Spain.
The Peace Accord signed on the 24th June 2013stated that; “the passport or any other travelling document of the accused person Mr Jose Marin Lopez be kept With the Police to restrict his travelling outside Nigeria.
Immediately after the PeaceAccord was signed, itwas clear that it was a fraud initiated by the Nigeria police Interpol Boss and the Imo State Government to spirit out the Spaniard Mr Jose Marin Lopez out of the country. This is because, it has been clearly stated in the clause that;‘the passport or any other travelling document of the accused person Mr Jose Marin Lopez be kept With the Police to restrict the accused Person from travelling outside Nigeria’.This ploy was to deceive the complainant who has so much trust in the Nigeria Police as he compared them to police he knew in Sweden and France where he used to live. He was cajoled into signing the peace Accord knowing when the Interpol knew full well that they will spirit Mr Jose Marin Lopez out of the country. Among questions begging for answers now is; why would the police Interpol deceive the complaint by being part of the Peace Accord to win his trust? It is on record that, on the 24th June 2013 before signing the Peace Accord prepared by the persecutor through the direction of the formal Interpol Boss Mr Adeyemi Samuel Ogunjemilusi, there were calls from the prosecutor who invited the Complaint Mr Emmanuel Emenike to study the Peace Accord. After studying the agreement, the complainant refused to sign the Peace Accord. His reason was that, he did not see any need for the Peace Accord, that despite all the police intimidation he saw the case as a straight one.He asserted that money was transferred to Spain for the purchase of equipment;the Spaniarddefaulted even with the agreement signed. Mr Jose Marin Lopez should return the money back to Nigeria, as this is public fund meant for project. It was on record that hedemanded that the Nigerian Police Interpol and the Imo State Government must be part of the signing of the Peace Accord since the accused person could not produce a guarantor. That was when both the police Interpol and the state government initiated the Peace Accord which bothwas fully represented.
We had Mr Jose MarinLopez in detention here in Nigeria, why the Peace Accord lamented the complainant on The police Interpol fully confirm that they blocked some fund that is the reason for obtaining the bank order from the federal high court, as required by Spanish court.How could a Spanish man arrested here disappears from the Nigeria Police Interpol net without an order from above?. He believed the Spaniard hadreturned the said money to the police, but they did not record or inform the complainant, Mr Emmanuel Emenike. It is clear from all indications that every effort to push this case always meets a dead end; even the last investigation summary report sent by the Inspector General of police to a different unit called P.S.F.U has already spent months without proactive action. It is strongly believed that this Spanish man has returned this said fund without the Interpol declaring it. It is important to note that the police Interpol did not inform any of the security agencies of the said Peace Accord e.g. theImmigration, Police, Customs, DSS, etc. and even the Spanish Embassy.
It is important to note that, the lawyer to Mr Jose MarinLopez was introduced to him by the former Interpol boss AdeyemiSamuel Ogunjemilusi when he debriefed his former lawyer Bar.Ogbonaya who was with Jose Marin Lopez in Imo state before the other Lawyer was introduced to him in Abuja as a member of the Peace Accord. Jose MarinLopezconfirmed that he had 1.3 millioneuro in his possession; he also confirmed this with a letter to Imo state government copy of letter available .The Interpol boss allowed withdrawalby Jose Marin Lopez despite proof of transfer made available to him .we believed that, they allowed withdrawalof funds from the same account given to the policeInterpol to block.Instead of blocking it, the slosh fund was used to run PR in Nigeria to cover up complicity of certain interests. In every withdrawalmade from the said account, Interpol was informed. The bank statement from the time of complaint by the MD Hormipresa Nig LIMITED will prove this statement as a fact.
In the light of the above fact, the effort put in so far by the P.S.F.U.(Police special fraud unit) had suggested on their Report that the case be revisited to arrestMr Lopezand his Personal Assistant Tim Ewerem presently running a school program in Holland for trial at university of leiden.
The Peace accord also suggested that the court order from the Federal High Court in Owerri be obeyed. In view of the commendable investigative stride by some officers of the Nigerian Police we believe that some of its senior officers in other police Units have at several instances openly intimidated them from pushing the investigation further to have a death end to the matter, as previously experience with the Police Interpol.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of INTERPOL, Adeyemi Samuel Ogunjemilusi is prominently complicit in the whole intrigues from the beginning to the point of impasse. Why isthe police Commissioner Samuel Ogunjemilusi intimidating and frustrating the recovery process of this fund? He is still influencing the investigation process until date.
Giving the trajectory of this storyline against the background of international opinion of Nigeria as a fantastically corrupt country, how best can we prove them wrong? I believe we can collectively do this when we stop to abet financial crime and corruption by using our position and authority in public office. Let us fight this virus by exposing those who act as accomplish to foreign con men to defraud hard working Nigerians.
It is of important to note that, the police Interpol and some high-level officers in connivance with some interests in Imo State government have in the past distracted the direction of recovering this fund abroad by focusing on other petty issues. They are bent on diverting public attention from the main direction of money that was transferred to Spain for the purchase of equipment which was not supplied for the execution of the projects. Until today, the projects have been abandoned and confined to the dustbin of White Elephant which is characteristic of past successive governments in Nigeria. In this era of CHANGE, we envisaged that this government with the incorruptible qualities of the President of Nigeria and the Governor of Imo state will not condone such deliberate attempt to blight its anti-corruption crusade.
OUR PRAYERS
1. The Inspector General of Police should order the rearrests of the prime suspect, Jose Marin Lopez and his ACCOMPLICE MR TIM ENWEREM who studies at University of Leiden Holland through the investigating unit (Interpol Section). Since it’s obvious that Mr José Marin Lopez and his Personal assistance Tim Ewerem has escape justices in Nigeria.
2. The Inspector General of Police should kindly find out the reason why the investigation is stocked at the DIG’s office.
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