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Andy Uba's Money Laundering Scandal: US officials insists affidavit is accurate

November 10, 2006
Saharareporters, New York

A top US government source who would not want his name in print, told Saharareporters that the sworn affidavit presented to by USSS and ICE special agents Mark Kehoe, Guy Gino were very "specific and detailed" about the facts of the case, saying that the settlement reached between Andy Uba and the US government was purely a court decision in a civil case which does not prevent other agencies of the US from pressing criminal charges against the subjects, the source confirmed that the US department of State was contacted and fully briefed about the case.

 Pressed further, he noted that if the Nigerian government were to contact the US that the money smuggled by Andy Uba were proceeds of crime, the case will automatically be re-opened. He constantly pointed our reporter to the language of the affidavit and insisted that the word "smuggled" was frequently and clearly used in describing how Andy Uba brought the money into the US and how the money was deposited in the accounts belonging to Ms. Loretta Mabinton in Portland, OR. The official declined to mention which or if other US law enforcement agencies are currently investigating the case, saying that he can't make such comments on behalf of the agencies.

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Saharareporters was informed by reliable sources that Andy Uba has embarked a multi-nillion naira public relations offensive to assuage the public damage brought about by the story. First on Monday and Wednesday nights at secret locations in Abuja and Lagos, Mr. Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba -Aka "Andy Uba" invited some selected journalists to tell his own side of the story regarding the presidential-jet-money laundering scandal that has almost paralyzed the Obasanjo presidency. Though he refused to make any public comments or grant any interviews, he spoke "off-record" about what he claimed really transpired in the Portland, Oregon case since 2003 when the presidential aide was caught by US Federal agents in a civil forfeiture case which led to a grim discovery by US Secret Service and Homeland Security agents of cash smuggling into the US totalling $170,000 in one haul, the money was later handed over to Loretta Inei Mabinton, the 46 years old Bayelsa indigene and lawyer female friend to Andy Uba to handle "Uba's personal affairs", Ms.Mabinton later opened a joint account with Uba to deposit $160,000 of the money according to SA Guy Gino. Mr. Emmanuel Andy uba lives with his wife and family in Abuja.

It will be recalled US government seized from Loretta Mabinton's bank accounts, the sum of $131,000 and a 2003 Mercedes Benz SL 500 model worth $91,000 which Loretta Mabinton had already shipped to Andy Uba in Nigeria out of the port in Seattle, Washington State, the vehicle was returned from Singapore and confiscated by the US authorities through a district court order until a settlement was reached between Emmanuel Uba and the US government leading to a cash-penalty settlement of $26,000 in a court settlement sanctioned by District Judge, Malcolm F. Marsh in Portland, Oregon.

Since this story broke to the Nigerian public, Uba had resigned as president Obasanjo's Senior Special Assistant of Domestic Affairs under controversial circumstances in which his resignation was backdated to Novemeber 1st 2006, but curiously the Federal Government of Nigeria was yet to make any official statement over Andy Uba's resignation, but Saharareporters can confirm that Andy Uba is no longer working at the Aso Rock Villa. Both Andy Uba and his principal, President Olusegun Obasanjo in whose jet the cash was smuggled into the US have embarked upon various tactics aimed at  damage control. Andy Uba is massively spending money to get the media to put a legal face on his out-of-court settlement with the US government without addressing the questions and solid facts made by the special agents involved in the case, instead he has put a spin on the issues alongside his female friend Loretta Mabinton.

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President Obasanjo who was served with copies of the Saharareporters report on the matter, incidentally on the presidential jet, on his flight from China to South Korea was said to have cursed the daylight out of anyone behind the story, soon after, a fellow named Kunle Fagbenle who claimed to be President Obasanjo's personal international lawyer threatened Saharareporters in an "International Press  Release" issued to confuse the public but when we dared the president and his self-acclaimed "Global Lawyer" via a swift reply, the preisdent's lawyers simply disappeared into the thin air. Then came Nuhu Ribadu who was said to be in the know of the issue for sometime now, but covered it up after he spoke personally to Loretta Mabinton about the embarassing story, Nuhu Ribadu disappointly claimed that since the EFCC was not officially notified by the FBI to help investigate Andy Uba, the agency would not act but critics of the EFCC insist that his claim was a reinforcement of the widely held view that the EFCC was a mere tool used by Obasanjo to hound his political opponents. They point to the Central Bank regulations which prohibits an Nigerian from shipping large amount of cash without declaring it to the government. EFCC's statement to the effect that it can't act on the issue, was roundly condemned.

Therefore the "UBAGATE" issue just grew out of proportion leading the president's men to reach out to the media for "understanding", a process that led to publications in the media earlier today in which Loretta Mabinton admitted to collecting $90,000 from Andy Uba to purchase a Mercedez Benz which resulted in a civil case that she claims was now totally resolved. This stands in stark contrast with claims by US officials who pointed to the detailed affidavit sworn to by Special Agent Guy Gino who not only interviewed Loretta after her accounts were frozen but also interviewed Andy Uba who admitted to transporting $170,000 to the US on President Obasanjo's plane.

Andy Uba not only admitted to this, but actually admitted to the allegations in his plea filed by lawyer, Mr. Douglas Stringer who represented both Andy Uba and Loretta Mabinton in this case. It is curious that Uba and Loretta who earlier opted to go before the Grand Jury to seek damages backtracked and entered into an out-of-court settlement with the US government which led to a civil penalty of $26,000 that was promptly paid by Uba.

In faxed documemts supposedly sent by Loretta Mabinton which Andy Uba provided to the media in the secret meetings, he claimed that the $131,000 seized from Loretta's account and the Mercedez Benz had been returned and Loretta Mabinton whose listed address is Tualatin, Oregon and works as an assistant legal counsel at Portland General Electric Company in Portland, Oregon could afford the money, but the detailed affidavit provided by Special ICE Agent Guy Gino made it clear that Loretta was living from pay check -to-pay check until 2003 when numerous suspicious financial transactions catapulted her into living above her income. Her average income is put at $60,000 per annum.

The strategy from Obasanjo is to keep mum on the matter waiting on another issue to sweep this damaging controversy off the stage, but Andy Uba is on the offensive to get favorable media coverage as the allegations directly threatens his ambition to rule Anambra State as governor in the upcoming 2007 elections. Another source told Saharareporters that the EFCC, in order to deflect the Uba scandal away, will in coming weeks target two major newspapers involved in the story, specifically The SUN and The NATION newspapers said to belong to Governors Bola Tinubu and Orji Kalu of Lagos and Abia State respectfully. Andy Uba and Loretta Mabinton also plans a libel lawsuit against Lagos -based newspaper-The GUARDIAN over their story on the Uba -Loretta scandal. The calculation is to massively bribe some editors and scare the others into submission and of course more "evidence" are on the way regarding how Andy Uba supposedly, legitimately made his money and plenty of editorial comments and articles are being placed! So many press releases and solidarity visits are planned to help Andy Uba and president Obasanjo look like victims of a vast political conspiracy.

In another development, so-called personal international lawyer to president Obasanjo who wrote to threaten Saharareporters is enmeshed in a major conflict of interest issue with another lawyer over his claims to being president Obasanjo's lawyer. According to a communication obtained by Saharareporters, Mr. Emeka Ugwonye another Nigerian lawyer has written Mr. Kunle Fagbenle to seek clarification from him regarding his involvement in a class action suit against the Nigerian government, where in the said lawyer was a litigant and lawyer in a class action suit against the Nigerian government. Part of the request for clarification letter reads: "December of 2003, you have been a lawyer in a lawsuit filed against the Federal Republic of Nigeria and three of its agencies in the New York federal court, titled AZIKIWE, ET AL. V. FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, ET AL., United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Case No. 03-6387. You have remained counsel in that case till present. You have pleaded against the Government of Nigeria in that case. In the complaint in that case you alleged that the Government of Nigeria under this President was involved in racketeering activities and that the Government of Nigeria has engaged in various acts of torture against the law of nations. You filed your case against Nigeria partly under the Alien Torts Claims Act. As you understand these were very serious claims and allegations that you have made against the Government of Nigeria and the administration of President Obasanjo", Mr. Kunle Fagbenle did not respond to this request as at the time of filing this report.


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