News
EFCC Arraigns TSTV, Executives over Alleged Tax Evasion, 419
Federal government has dragged two top executives of Telecom Satellites Limited (TSTV), to court over alleged tax evasion, money laundering and advanced fee fraud offences.
The accused are Dr Bright Ikechukwu Echefu, managing director and chief executive officer of TSTV and Dr Felix Nnamdi Ignoanuga said to be the executive director of the telecom satellites company.
They were put on trial at the federal high court in Abuja, alongside TSTV and another company, Briechberg Investment Limited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on 9-count criminal charges.
Part of the charges are that the two men on May 18, 2020, committed money laundering bordering on tax evasion, unremitted VAT, Company income tax and Pay As You Earn (PAYE), deducted from the salaries of 165 workers punishable under section 15 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 as amended in 2012.
They were alleged to have on May 18, 2020, diverted to their personal use N33. 9M, N13. 5M and N19. 4M tax money payable to the federal government in breach of section 15 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.
On his part alone, Dr Bright Ikechukwu Echefu who is the first accused person was alleged to have defrauded Turaki Kabir Tanimu, SAN, of N960 million under false pretences.
The charge indicated that Echefu while acting as the managing director of Briechberg Investment Limited on May 18, 2020, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N150m from Tanimu who is the Managing Director of Kalsiyam Farm as a loan to acquire modern equipment for his telecom company.
The money was said to have been paid into Briechberg Investment Limited account number 1015561485 domicile at Zenith Bank.
On the same day, the accused person was said to have obtained another N380m paid into the same account for the same purpose while another N400m was also allegedly secured by the accused the same day and for the same purpose from Tanimu who is also the MD of BYI General and paid into the same account.
Still on the same May 18, 2020, Turaki SAN, while acting as Managing Director of K. T Turake made two payments of N15M each into the Briechberg Investment Limited bank account belonging to Dr Bright Ikechukwu Echefu for the same purpose.
It will be recalled that Turaki Kabir Tanimu SAN was at a time, a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and was physically present in court during Thursday’s arraignment of the defendants.
When the charges were read to them, the two accused persons denied the alleged fraud charges.
Sylvanus Tahir, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria who led the prosecution team vehemently objected to the bail application made by Eyitayo Fatigun, SAN on behalf of the two defendants.
While Tahir insisted that the accused persons are flight risks having allegedly been evading arrest, Fatigun disagreed and insisted that EFCC itself granted them administrative bail.
In a short ruling, Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo adopted the EFCC bail conditions to allow the two men go home.
The Judge, however, ordered them not to travel out of the country without the permission of the court while the immigration must be notified of the seizure of their international passports.
He warned that any breach of the bail conditions or absence in court would automatically lead to revocation of their bail and to remain in custody throughout the trial period.
Justice Ekwo directed the EFCC to transmit the record of administrative bail granted to the defendants to the court within seven days.
Meanwhile, July 15, 16 and 17 have been fixed for the commencement of trial.
News
PalmPay, Jumia Reward Users in Festive Campaign
This holiday season just got a whole lot more exciting! PalmPay, one of Africa’s leading fintech platforms, operates Nigeria’s most used mobile wallet and has teamed up with Jumia, the continent’s e-commerce giant, to launch a festive campaign that’s all about convenience, rewards, and enhancing your shopping experience.
Running from December 11th to 28th, 2024, this holiday campaign is set to reward shoppers who use the new “Pay with PalmPay” feature on Jumia with cash prizes. Every purchase made using the direct payment method automatically enters participants into a draw, giving them a chance to win exciting cash rewards while enjoying the seamless shopping and payment process.
A Strategic Partnership To Enhance Digital Payments
The integration of the “Pay with PalmPay Wallet” feature on Jumia marks a major milestone in the partnership between the two industry leaders.
Speaking at the media announcement, Mr. Chika Nwosu, Managing Director of PalmPay, highlighted the broader mission driving this collaboration: “We are thrilled to join forces with Jumia to redefine convenience for shoppers. At PalmPay, our mission has always been to drive economic empowerment through accessible and user-friendly financial services. This partnership is a natural step forward in achieving that goal.”
Beyond the holidays, this partnership with Jumia m,k is a signal of bigger things to come. Mr. Chika added: “This is more than just about payments—it’s about creating value for our customers. We are excited about the opportunities this partnership will unlock in 2025, including campaigns and innovative initiatives that will further transform the online shopping landscape.”
Sunil Natraj, CEO of Jumia Nigeria, highlighted the shared vision between both companies, stating: “At Jumia, we are dedicated to creating value for our customers by ensuring a convenient, reliable, and secure shopping experience. This partnership with PalmPay strengthens our commitment to enhancing the digital payments within our platform. By integrating PalmPay, we are providing more options for customers to access affordable and quality goods with the convenience of cashless transactions.”
How to Join the Holiday Fun
Participating in the campaign is simple. When shopping on Jumia, select the “Pay with PalmPay” option at checkout, and your entry into the draw is automatic. It’s that easy!
Bonus Entry: Share a screenshot of your purchase on X (formerly Twitter) using the hashtag #PalmPayXJumia to increase your chances of winning. Additional winners will be selected from participants engaging with the campaign on Twitter.
Whether you are shopping for gifts, or gadgets this festive season, PalmPay and Jumia are making sure your experience is not only seamless but also rewarding.
To learn more about the campaign, stay tuned to the official X accounts (formerly Twitter) of @palmpay_ng and @JumiaNigeria. for updates, announcements, and more chances to win.
News
Corruption: ICPC Threatens Sanctions as 330 MDAs Fail Financial, Governance Tests
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), has revealed that none of the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), in the country complied fully with ethical standards, policies, and anti-corruption measures in the passing year.
This was following the findings from the Commission’s Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS) for the MDAs.
The Commission warned that henceforth, non-compliant MDAs will face necessary actions, including enforcement, to ensure adherence to government directives.
According to the EICS scorecard released on Thursday in Abuja by Demola Bakare, ICPC spokesperson, no MDA out of 330 MDAs that were assessed through physical deployment by ICPC teams achieved full compliance.
The EICS serves as a preventive tool used to assess and enhance the compliance of MDAs with ethical standards, policies, and anti-corruption measures.
Findings from the report indicated that no MDA achieved full compliance, while 29.55 per cent of MDAs captured attained substantial compliance, and 51.62 per cent had partial compliance.
The report also observed that 15.91 per cent showed poor compliance, while 292 per cent were non-compliant.
According to the report, common gaps included a lack of whistle-blower policies, strategic plans, and effective stock verification units, adding that many MDAs failed to conduct any forms of system studies or render financial and audit reports.
Commenting on the report, Bakare noted: “This year, 2024, the tool covered 323 responsive MDAs, with 15 MDAs non-responsive and categorised as high corruption risk.
“It is imperative to inform you that this initiative has yielded some positive and value-driven impacts, and these are, but not limited to, increased awareness and compliance with anti-corruption measures, enhanced competition among MDAs to meet criteria, and improved procurement processes and data reliability.
“The Commission recognises the MDAs with substantial compliance and will continue deploying these tools to promote integrity and accountability.
“Non-compliant MDAs will face necessary actions, including enforcement, to ensure adherence to government directives. We are certain that these efforts will continue to underline ICPC’s dedication to enhancing good governance and preventing corruption.”
News
Dangote Refinery Denies Liquidity Challenges, Dismisses NNPCL’s $1Bn Loan Claim
Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals (DPRP) has dismissed claims that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) used a $1 billion loan secured through a crude forward sale agreement to support the refinery during a liquidity crisis.
In a statement on Wednesday, Anthony Chiejina, company’s chief branding and communications officer, said the NNPCL’s stance was a distortion of the facts.
“We would like to clarify that this is a misrepresentation of the situation as $1bn is just about 5% of the investment that went into building the Dangote Refinery,” Chiejina said.
Chiejina stated that the refinery’s decision to enter into a partnership with the NNPCL was based on the recognition of “their strategic position in the industry as the largest offtaker of Nigerian crude” and at the time, the sole supplier of petrol into Nigeria.
“We agreed on the sale of a 20% stake at a value of $2.76 billion. Of this, we agreed that they will only pay $1 billion while the balance will be recovered over a period of 5 years through deductions on crude oil that they supply to us and from dividends due to them,” Chiejina said.
“If we were struggling with liquidity challenges we wouldn’t have given them such generous payment terms. As at 2021 when the agreement was signed, the refinery was at the pre-commission stage.”
According to the statement, the agreement would have been cash-based rather than credit-driven if the refinery struggled with liquidity issues.
The refinery’s spokesman said the NNPCL was subsequently unable to supply the agreed 300,000 barrels a day of crude (bpd).
He stated that the shortfall was because the NNPPC “had committed a greater part of their crude cargoes to financiers with the expectation of higher production which they were unable to achieve”.
“We subsequently gave them a 12-month period for them to pay cash for the balance of their equity given their inability to supply the agreed crude oil volume,” he said.
“NNPCL failed to meet this deadline which expired on June 30th 2024. As a result, their equity share was revised down to 7.24%. These events have been widely reported by both parties,” he said.
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