Court Gives Verdict on Allegation Against Billionaire Benedict Peters, Indicts UK, Nigerian Agencies
- Charges levelled against a Nigerian billionaire have been squashed by a Federal Capital Territory High Court
- The court said that the allegations against Benedict Peters, an international businessman and AITEO boss are baseless
- According to the court, the defendants have been mandated to pay as damages the sum of N200 millio n to the appellant
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A Federal Capital Territory High Court has declared all allegations against AITEO boss and international businessman, Benedict Peters, by British and Nigerian agencies as baseless.
The court said that the allegations against Peters over his ownership of a number of properties were premised on trumped-up charges that constituted an abuse of state power.
Source: UGC
In its judgement, the court also declared that Peters is a person of legitimate means and livelihood and he and his related companies are the lawful owners of some properties wrongfully listed as owned by Nigeria's former minister of oil petroleum resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke.
The court's decision followed proceedings suit no FCT/HC/CV/0536/17 filed by Benedict Peters and three of his companies Collinwood Limited, Rosewood Investments Limited and Walworth Properties Limited against the Attorney General of the Federation.
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Also joined in the suit were the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of the United Kingdom, Helen Hughes of the CPS, the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom and its investigators Stacey Boniface and John Bavister.
The court found that the defendants, by fraudulent design, suppressed and misrepresented facts in the supposition that four properties legitimately acquired by Peters were owned by Alison-Madueke.
Some of the properties include 270-17 Street, Unit #4204, Atlanta, Georgia, Flat 5 Parkview, 83-86 Prince Albert Road, St. John's Wood, London, Flat 58 Harley House Marylebone, London, and Apartment 4, 5 Arlington Road, London.
In its decision, the court noted that the legitimacy of the property was a fact they knew or ought to know as unsustainably untrue.
In reaching the critical conclusions, the court found through the evidence adduced, documents and subsisting court judgments that Peters established proprietorship ownership of all the properties.
The claimants had contended that the defendants engaged in a scheme of conspiracies, carousel fraud, misrepresentation and suppression of material facts which occasioned hardship, grave damages, loss of earnings, loss of goodwill and subjected the Plaintiffs to public contempt, odium and opprobrium.
Court's decision and orders
In his decision, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi said that the existence of a common agreement between the parties was rightly inferred by their concerted acts and that those were purposeful, calculated and pre-determined to achieve those outcomes.
The court also awarded damages jointly and severally to the tune of N200 million against the defendants while declaring that the defendants by fraudulent design, suppressed and misrepresented facts about the ownership of the relevant properties.
It further ordered the defendants and their operatives, officers, agents, and servants in whatever manner and howsoever called, be jointly or severally restrained from interfering with the proprietary rights or interests of Peters and the other claimants, their agents, alter-ego or privies in relation to the properties listed in this suit.
In his reaction, counsel to the plaintiffs, Mike Ozekhome, said that it has been a long five years for the claimants.
He also expressed relief that the names of the claimants have been cleared with the victory from the court.
EFCC frustrated as court adjourns case of ex-southwestern governor in alleged N6.9bn fraud
There will be no verdict on Ayodele Fayose's alleged fraud case until the second month of 2023
The former Ekiti state governor had been in a court battle with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) since 2018.
Several witnesses have been docked during his trial and non has been found valid by the federal high court to pin down Osokomole as he is fondly called.
Powerful ex-PDP governor docked for owing his former attorney-general N900m legal
In another development, the former Ekiti state governor had been arraigned before a high court in Ado Ekiti, the state capital on Tuesday.
Fayose was docked for owing his ex-attorney general and former commissioner of justice, Owoseni.
Ajayi, N900m legal fee Ajayi said he had defended Fayose in a total number of 18 cases, including that of his impeachment in 2006 and corruption charges against him by EFCC.
Source: Legit.ng
