June 8, 2008
Despite spirited denials by controversial minister of justice and attorney general, Michael Aondoakaa, to stave off arrest for money laundering and corruption, Saharareporters can confirm that Aondoakaa personally paid cash for the N110 million duplex bought at the Apo Legislators Quarters in Abuja.
The minister has been fingered in several corrupt deals that involve peddling of influence--specifically the use of his offices to shield indicted former governors and international economic crimes fugitives.
Saharareporters has learned that Mr. Aondoakaa spent N70 million to renovate the house, according to reliable sources knowledgeable about the developments.
Saharareporters had earlier reported that the house, which is located on 23 David Bamigboye Street, in an area originally named Zone A, in Abuja was purchased from Mr. Kayode Amusan, a member of the National Assembly from Ogun State. Mr. Amusan represents Abeokuta North/Obafemi-Owode/Odeda constituency.
In a tepid and unconvincing denial through The Nation newspaper today, the attorney general made a spurious claim that the house belongs to his "brother", Robert Orya. Mr. Orya works for Afribank International Limited (Merchant Bankers), and is head of the bank's Capital Market Division.
But Saharareporters has found out that the use of Mr. Orya's name as the "owner" of Aondoakaa'a new house in Abuja was an afterthought--a scheme calculated to deflect questions about the source of the attorney general's cash haul.
A source close to Mr. Aondoakaa has disclosed to Saharareporters that the minister and Mr. Amusan are feverishly working to perfect the paperwork with which to cover up the questionable real estate transaction. The source told Saharareporters that the scandal-infested minister hasn't slept since yesterday, trying hard to convince Mr. Orya to come forward and admit that the house belongs to the banker.
"Orya knows that Afribank is going to ask questions about where he got the N110 million to pay cash of this amount for a house. But Chief Aondoakaa is promising to use his ministerial clout to shield him should the banker get into trouble with Afribank," explained our source.
Mr. Amusan gave away the attorney general when he told The Nation reporters that he could not remember who bought the house from him, even though the deal was concluded within the last three weeks ago.
Amusan was touted as a candidate to become speaker when former Speaker Patricia Etteh was forced to resign amid a corruption scandal arising from the expenditure of more than N600 million naira on renovation and cars. Mr. Amosun had to withdraw from the race due to his questionable educational background.Two sources in the House of Representatives told Saharareporters that Mr. Amusan "obtained" a degree from an evening school last year, but feared that the questionable degree would not help his case in the hotly contested seat .
Mr. Amusan owns a hotel in Lagos and engages in land speculation, a far cry from his claims that he is a "real estate" guru.
Meanwhile, Saharareporters has been told that Aondoakaa's cup may be running full with Umar Yar'adua. One presidency source informed us that Yar'adua was weighing replacing Aondoakaa with a more genial and less controversial figure. "The only snag is that the attorney general plays a central role in fixing election court cases for Yar'adua and other PDP candidates," said the source.
The presidency source also told Saharareporters that Yar'adua feels he is being blackmailed to keep Aondoakaa at his job. "The fear is that if Aondoakaa is removed, he might team up with [former Vice President] Abubakar Atiku to frustrate Yar'adua at the Supreme Court." Atiku, who used to be Aondoakaa's client, has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against the verdict of the Justice James Ogebe presidential election tribunal that upheld Yar'adua's election.
Since his appointment as minister of justice last year, Aondoakaa has been trailed by the dust of corruption, incompetence and what a senior advocate of Nigeria called "ethical shamelessness."
Soon after he assumed office, he went after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an effort to strip the agency of prosecutorial powers. "Aondoakaa's agenda from day one was to decimate the EFCC. He did this at the behest of former governors who were facing criminal charges for corruption, money laundering and abuse of office," said a source at the Ministry of Justice.
After accepting massive bribes from former governors, Mr. Aondoakaa tried to snatch case files from the EFCC in order to sabotage the prosecution of corrupt officials. In one instance, he wrote a letter to the British lawyers of former Governor James Ibori of Delta State to help them win reprieve for the ex-governor whose world-wide assets of $35 million were frozen by a London Magistrate court. The letter claimed that Mr. Ibori was not a subject of any corruption investigation in Nigeria, a bare-faced lie since Aondoakaa knew that the EFCC had a dossier on Ibori's plunder of public funds.
Also in September 2007, he wrote a secret letter to the ministry of justice in France with the aim of thwarting the prosecution of Dan Etete, the erstwhile minister of petroleum resources under the late General Sani Abacha. Mr. Etete was then facing charges for corruption and money laundering.
Aondoakaa has also been fingered in extortion schemes which includes the detention of his kinsman, Alexander Gaadi, over Gaadi's refusal to give the minister a cut of the N41 billion awarded to the Zaki Biam for a genocidal assault ordered by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Aondoakaa has also been named in scams involving the forceful take over of NICON insurance, and his unilateral decision to appoint a relative, Botwev Orhii, as an international expert in a government case against the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, for its unauthorized drug trials in Nigeria that killed many patients. Mr. Orhii, a fresh law graduate in Houston, TX, was brought in at a high price tag even though he is inexperienced and the case was entering a phase of resolution and out of court settlement. Orhii has never acted as an expert in any court cases involving a pharmaceutical company prior to the appointment by Aondoakaa.
Last week, Saharareporters also reported that Mr. Aondoakaa had compelled various departments of his ministry to contribute N1.1 million each for a press conference to be addressed by the minister. Our source said he claimed that he needed the money to bribe journalists who were attending the press conference. Mr. Aondoakaa never accounted for the disbursement of the funds.
The minister has been fingered in several corrupt deals that involve peddling of influence--specifically the use of his offices to shield indicted former governors and international economic crimes fugitives.
Saharareporters has learned that Mr. Aondoakaa spent N70 million to renovate the house, according to reliable sources knowledgeable about the developments.
Saharareporters had earlier reported that the house, which is located on 23 David Bamigboye Street, in an area originally named Zone A, in Abuja was purchased from Mr. Kayode Amusan, a member of the National Assembly from Ogun State. Mr. Amusan represents Abeokuta North/Obafemi-Owode/Odeda constituency.
In a tepid and unconvincing denial through The Nation newspaper today, the attorney general made a spurious claim that the house belongs to his "brother", Robert Orya. Mr. Orya works for Afribank International Limited (Merchant Bankers), and is head of the bank's Capital Market Division.
But Saharareporters has found out that the use of Mr. Orya's name as the "owner" of Aondoakaa'a new house in Abuja was an afterthought--a scheme calculated to deflect questions about the source of the attorney general's cash haul.
A source close to Mr. Aondoakaa has disclosed to Saharareporters that the minister and Mr. Amusan are feverishly working to perfect the paperwork with which to cover up the questionable real estate transaction. The source told Saharareporters that the scandal-infested minister hasn't slept since yesterday, trying hard to convince Mr. Orya to come forward and admit that the house belongs to the banker.
"Orya knows that Afribank is going to ask questions about where he got the N110 million to pay cash of this amount for a house. But Chief Aondoakaa is promising to use his ministerial clout to shield him should the banker get into trouble with Afribank," explained our source.
Mr. Amusan gave away the attorney general when he told The Nation reporters that he could not remember who bought the house from him, even though the deal was concluded within the last three weeks ago.
Amusan was touted as a candidate to become speaker when former Speaker Patricia Etteh was forced to resign amid a corruption scandal arising from the expenditure of more than N600 million naira on renovation and cars. Mr. Amosun had to withdraw from the race due to his questionable educational background.Two sources in the House of Representatives told Saharareporters that Mr. Amusan "obtained" a degree from an evening school last year, but feared that the questionable degree would not help his case in the hotly contested seat .
Mr. Amusan owns a hotel in Lagos and engages in land speculation, a far cry from his claims that he is a "real estate" guru.
Meanwhile, Saharareporters has been told that Aondoakaa's cup may be running full with Umar Yar'adua. One presidency source informed us that Yar'adua was weighing replacing Aondoakaa with a more genial and less controversial figure. "The only snag is that the attorney general plays a central role in fixing election court cases for Yar'adua and other PDP candidates," said the source.
The presidency source also told Saharareporters that Yar'adua feels he is being blackmailed to keep Aondoakaa at his job. "The fear is that if Aondoakaa is removed, he might team up with [former Vice President] Abubakar Atiku to frustrate Yar'adua at the Supreme Court." Atiku, who used to be Aondoakaa's client, has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against the verdict of the Justice James Ogebe presidential election tribunal that upheld Yar'adua's election.
Since his appointment as minister of justice last year, Aondoakaa has been trailed by the dust of corruption, incompetence and what a senior advocate of Nigeria called "ethical shamelessness."
Soon after he assumed office, he went after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an effort to strip the agency of prosecutorial powers. "Aondoakaa's agenda from day one was to decimate the EFCC. He did this at the behest of former governors who were facing criminal charges for corruption, money laundering and abuse of office," said a source at the Ministry of Justice.
After accepting massive bribes from former governors, Mr. Aondoakaa tried to snatch case files from the EFCC in order to sabotage the prosecution of corrupt officials. In one instance, he wrote a letter to the British lawyers of former Governor James Ibori of Delta State to help them win reprieve for the ex-governor whose world-wide assets of $35 million were frozen by a London Magistrate court. The letter claimed that Mr. Ibori was not a subject of any corruption investigation in Nigeria, a bare-faced lie since Aondoakaa knew that the EFCC had a dossier on Ibori's plunder of public funds.
Also in September 2007, he wrote a secret letter to the ministry of justice in France with the aim of thwarting the prosecution of Dan Etete, the erstwhile minister of petroleum resources under the late General Sani Abacha. Mr. Etete was then facing charges for corruption and money laundering.
Aondoakaa has also been fingered in extortion schemes which includes the detention of his kinsman, Alexander Gaadi, over Gaadi's refusal to give the minister a cut of the N41 billion awarded to the Zaki Biam for a genocidal assault ordered by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Aondoakaa has also been named in scams involving the forceful take over of NICON insurance, and his unilateral decision to appoint a relative, Botwev Orhii, as an international expert in a government case against the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, for its unauthorized drug trials in Nigeria that killed many patients. Mr. Orhii, a fresh law graduate in Houston, TX, was brought in at a high price tag even though he is inexperienced and the case was entering a phase of resolution and out of court settlement. Orhii has never acted as an expert in any court cases involving a pharmaceutical company prior to the appointment by Aondoakaa.
Last week, Saharareporters also reported that Mr. Aondoakaa had compelled various departments of his ministry to contribute N1.1 million each for a press conference to be addressed by the minister. Our source said he claimed that he needed the money to bribe journalists who were attending the press conference. Mr. Aondoakaa never accounted for the disbursement of the funds.
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