By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), demanding an investigation into the alleged illicit transfer of £400,000 by Senator Sunday Marshall Katung and his wife to the United Kingdom.
The petition, signed by HEDA’s Chairman, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, was addressed to the EFCC Chairman, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, calling for the probe, prosecution, and repatriation of the funds suspected to be proceeds of criminal conduct.
Citing findings from a PremiumTimes report, HEDA stated that Senator Katung, who currently represents the Kaduna South Senatorial District, allegedly moved £400,000 out of Nigeria through unlicensed Bureau De Change (BDC) operators between April and May 2015. The funds were reportedly used by his wife, Mrs. Katung to make an initial deposit on a £1,000,000 property in the UK.
According to the UK High Court of Justice, King’s Bench Division, the National Crime Agency (NCA) had argued that the entire property was acquired through criminal proceeds and thus recoverable under the UK’s Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA).
The court ruled that Mrs. Katung could not adequately justify the source of the funds, and that some of the BDCs she claimed were involved, including My Honey Oil Interbiz Ltd, were not found on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s list of licensed operators as of June 2021.
“The court was satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that foreign exchange transactions were conducted to circumvent Nigerian regulations and possibly avoid punitive exchange rates,” the petition reads in part.
HEDA emphasized that the situation presents clear evidence of illicit financial flows from Nigeria and urged the anti-graft agency to act without delay. The civil organization called on the EFCC to investigate all parties involved, including the Senator and the implicated BDC operators, and begin the legal process of recovering the full £400,000 transferred abroad towards the acquisition of that property.
“Corruption and money laundering are criminal offences with no statute of limitation. Prosecution can be initiated at any point once evidence emerges,” Mr. Suraju stated.
HEDA commended the EFCC’s ongoing efforts in fighting corruption and expressed confidence in the Commission’s willingness to act swiftly on the matter.
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