EFCC Press Release
The Special Control
Unit Against Money Laundering, SCUML Tuesday April 23, 2013 arrested officials
of a real estate firm and two hotels in Abuja
for non-compliance with extant regulations mandating Designated
Non- Financial Institutions, DNFIs to register with the Unit in line with the
anti-money laundering laws. Those arrested in a special operation conducted in conjunction
with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC are Isemede Mac-Henry,
General Manager/Accountant, First Group Real Estate Company; Fadipe Emmanuel
Abiodun, Managing Director, Alexis Hotel
and Ekanem Ibok Essien, Managing Director, Rittman Suites.
Aside from enforcing compliance with regulations,
Angela Nworgu, Head SCUML said the intelligence-driven raid is aimed at uncovering the
beneficial ownership of entities that could be used to launder money within and
outside Nigeria.
First Group Real Estate Company which has foreign ownership
has been involved in the marketing, promotion and sale of off-shore real estate primarily in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Nworgu called on DNFIs
to continue to abide by extant regulations to avoid the wrath of the law.
Section
5 of the Money Laundering Act 2011 require existing DNFIs to submit to the
ministry of commerce, within three months from the commencement of the Act, a
declaration of their activities and all record of transactions in chronological
order, indicating each customer’s surname, forenames and address.
DFNIs
include dealers in jewelleries, cars, supermarkets and luxury goods, chartered
accountants, audit firms, tax consultants, clearing and settlement companies,
legal practitioners, hotels, casinos, or such other businesses as the Federal
Ministry of Commerce or appropriate regulatory authorities may from time to
time designate.
Wilson Uwujaren
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity
24th April, 2013
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