In
a week when UK law enforcement authorities are shadow boxing Mrs.
Alison-Madueke in London, and agents of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) searched her homes in Nigeria, Mr. Kola Aluko o
a top money launderer for Diezani Allison Madueke is holed up in his
Swiss mansion located at Catonale 17, 6948 Porza in Tocina, according to
a source familiar with his whereabouts.
A
flamboyant man, Mr. Aluko relished his meteoric rise to stupendous
wealth, purchasing villas, expensive cars, and a yacht, dating former
supermodel Naomi Campbell, and partying with movie and entertainment
stars in the UK, Europe and the US.
An investigation by SaharaReporters pointed to a falling out between Mr.
Aluko, on the one hand, and Mrs. Alison-Madueke .The major contention
was centered on Mr. Aluko’s indiscreet and flashy lifestyle, which
triggered the former minister’s fears that his opulent acquisitions and
taste could attract unwanted attention. According to sources close to
both parties, the relations between Mrs. Alison-Madueke and her front
soured badly after Mr. Aluko was seen in numerous photographs
accompanied by Ms. Naomi Campbell. They said Mr. Aluko stopped traveling
to Nigeria and absconded with a massive amount of looted money he was
supposed to launder for the former Petroleum Minister.
Intelligence documents leaked to SaharaReporters described Mr. Aluko as a
“money launderer” and “money manager,” for elite politicians in
Nigeria—especially Mrs. Alison-Madueke. The documents claimed that Mr.
Aluko purchased several real estate properties in Los Angeles and New
York for as much as $23 million. SaharaReporters has also learned that
hip-hop power couple, Jay Z and BeyoncĂ©, spent a vacation on Mr. Aluko’s
$50 million yacht.
Mr. Aluko’s Swiss estate, known as Villa Rezzonico, is described by
one Italian language newspaper as having “an area of 1,400 square
meters, dozens of rooms, and is surrounded by a park of 4,700 square
meters with a swimming pool, fitness area and several oases for
relaxation.” The paper described the villa as “one of the most beautiful
architectural relics of the early twentieth century or twentieth
century in Switzerland.” The newspaper identified Mr. Aluko as the new
owner of the mansion, adding that he carried out significant renovations
and equipped the property with a sophisticated security system.As part of our ongoing investigation into Mr. Aluko’s role as a money launderer, our correspondent rang his home number, +41 91 940 27 14. An employee who answered the call confirmed that Mr. Aluko lived at the house, but claimed he was “unavailable to speak on the phone.” This employee told our correspondent that she would pass the message to Mr. Aluko. However, he did not return our call at the time of this publication.
Mr. Aluko’s sudden wealth came from his ownership of Atlantic Energy, a shady firm that received generous oil export contracts from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) six months before it was legally established as a company. Mrs. Alison-Madueke also recommended the award of at least five oil blocks to Atlantic Energy.
Mr. Aluko also owns Tenka AG, a company based in Zug, Switzerland that was formed in late 2012. Tenka AG is described as a food and hospitality company and owns a capital of 500,000 Swiss francs.
Yesterday,
Nigerian leader, Muhammadu Buhari hinted that the Swiss and the UK
government were collaborating with Nigeria to retrieve some of its
stolen wealth and bring perpetrators of financial crimes to justice. A
Reuters news report confirms that the Swiss Attorney General has
confirmed requests by the Nigerian government to arrest Mr. Aluko.
(c) Point Blank News
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