Anytime from now, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will invite bids for the sale of assets seized from the impeached Bayelsa State governor, Chief Diepriye Alamieyeseigha,
THISDAY gathered that EFCC officials went into a discussion with some top functionaries of the Bayelsa State Government last night in Lagos on the modalities for selling the assets.
A Federal High Court in Lagos had ordered that Alamieyeseigha should forfeit 11 choice houses and large sums of money in local and foreign currencies to the Bayelsa State Government.
Among the assets ordered to be forfeited are houses at V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa; one situated at 2, Marscibit Street, Ishaku Rabiu Estate, Off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja; property at 34, Amazon Street, Maitama, Abuja; N1billion worth of shares in former Bond Bank; $160,000 in account number 005482562491 with an American bank; and N105 million in account number 2010062850006 with former Bond Bank.
Those at the meeting between EFCC officials and representatives of the Bayelsa State Government were EFCC Secretary, Emmanuel Ako-maye, and Director of Opera-tions, Ibrahim Lamorde, as well as Bayelsa State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Tony George-Okoli (SAN); Commissioner for Finance, Silva Opuala-Charles; Commissioner for Commerce, Bekeakpo Etifa and Special Adviser to Governor Timiprey Silva on Legal Matters, F.B. Olorogun.
The meeting held for several hours and was said to have arrived at some modalities for disposing the assets.
Details of the modalities were not immediately clear last night but sources said the Federal Government would soon issue standard procedure for the sale of such assets.
Under the proposed plan, such assets are to be advertised to ensure open bidding.
EFCC will be required to state how much each house is sold and who bought which house.
The commission is also to declare where the proceeds of such sale were paid into.
Government may require that henceforth, the proceeds of such sale should be paid into the Consolidated Federation Account.
Under the plea bargain between EFCC and the former governor, Alamieyeseigha had pleaded guilty in exchange for a light sentence. The court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Shuaib, handed down a two-year imprisonment term on each of the six-count charge, adding that the terms would run concurrently and from the day of his first arrest.
And because the former governor had been in detention since December 9, 2005, he was deemed to have served out the two years and was left off the hook about a month ago. The judge, in his ruling, after counsel had prayed the court to be lenient in its sentence said, �I have listened to counsel of the accused. The court will take into account the pleadings of counsel. The accused person is sentenced to two years imprisonment on each of the count charge. It shall run concurrently
After pleading guilty to the charge and before sentenced was handed down, Alamieyeseigha, had told the court that he had gone through the shadow of death.
�I have been through this journey since January 15, 2005. I was brought into the country by the British Government. I was kept with mad people. I was bleeding. The British people brought me here and what Obasanjo (former President Olusegun Obasanjo) could do was to send a battalion of army to take over the State Government House in Bayelsa.
�Within this time, I have signed the contract of my life five times. I am 55 years old. I have lost my wife and children. I have gone through the shadows of death. I am carrying the matter which I am opposed to. If I am a younger man, I would not have pleaded guilty to these charges because I could have defended myself, if I was much younger. This cannot be the case now,� he said.
Alamieyeseigha was charged with money laundering, illegal acquisition of property and false declaration of assets.
Among the allegations preferred against him in the charge sheet dated December 19, 2005, were that himself and a company, Solomon & Peters Ltd. between October 1999 and December 2003, converted 241 million pounds (N60.7billion) from Lagos to London to buy the properties at a Flat 202 Jubilee Heights, Shoot Uphill London NW23 UQ.
Seven other companies that were tried alongside the former governor were: Solomon & Peters Ltd., Santolina Investment Corporation, Pesol Nigeria Ltd., Salomein and Associates (Nig) Ltd., Kpedefa Nigeria Ltd., Jetty Properties Ltd. and Herbage Global Services Ltd.
Alamieyeseigha and Herbage Global Services Limited were also alleged to have between January 2005 and September 2005, in the Lagos Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N1.5billion to buy a property known as Chelsea Hotel Abuja.
Aug142007