The Lawyer Basic of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has denied claims {that a} United States District Courtroom authorised Louis E. Williams to grab $21m from Nigeria’s account with JP Morgan.
The Ministry of Justice, in an announcement signed by the AGF, on Wednesday, clarified that the inaccuracies first printed by a web based media platform (not The PUNCH) had been fully false.
The assertion criticised the experiences for failing to hunt the ministry’s response, as he challenged the media shops to offer a replica of any US courtroom order associated to the alleged seizure.
It mentioned the US District Courtroom had not authorised any seizure of Nigerian authorities funds.
The assertion learn, “The ministry needs to set the report straight relating to an inaccurate publication by Peoples Gazette and others alleging {that a} US District Courtroom has authorised a sure Louis E. Williams to grab $21m from Nigeria’s account with JP Morgan.
“We want to observe from the report follows equally inaccurate publications by Peoples Gazette on August 21, 2023, underneath the duvet: ‘UK Courtroom authorises SSS sufferer Williams Emovbira to grab $21 million from CBN account with JP Morgan in New York’.
“Not one of the media shops that syndicated the story sought the response of the Nigerian authorities. Certainly, the ministry challenges these media shops to publish a replica of the US courtroom order authorising the seizure.
“The ministry hereby clarifies that at no time did the US District Courtroom authorise the seizure of funds belonging to the Nigerian authorities within the custody of JP Morgan. The courtroom solely refused Nigeria’s preliminary movement to dismiss the grievance towards it on the bottom of sovereign immunity.”
The assertion mentioned by the courtroom’s resolution of August 21, 2024, the case would now proceed to a substantive listening to.
A British-Nigerian businessman, Williams Emovbira, had narrated how he was abused and defrauded by the Nigerian home intelligence workplace within the Eighties and was demanding the order of the courtroom to withdraw $21m from Nigeria’s account with JP Morgans as damages.
Talking on the choice of the courtroom, the Justice Ministry mentioned, “The implication of the ruling rendered on August 21, 2024, is that the case would now proceed to a substantive listening to on benefit, whereby events are required to current proof and authorized submissions in help of their case earlier than the courtroom will challenge a ultimate resolution.
“It’s pertinent to state that Nigeria has filed an enchantment towards the interlocutory resolution.
“Nigeria has launched strong authorized defences/challenges within the UK and US courts towards Williams’ claims, together with by launching proceedings towards him for fraud and, subsequently, stays fairly assured and optimistic that his makes an attempt to strong-arm the Nigerian authorities will come to nought.”
