Pat Stevens/
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has seized the passport of the Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, over his indictment for bank fraud and money laundering by the US, according to a report by The Nation.
The newspaper said Onyema’s passports will be in custody of the anti-graft commission as investigations continue and his movements, temporarily restricted.
The US Department of Justice had last month accused Onyema of moving more than $20 million from Nigeria through US bank accounts in a scheme involving false documents based on the purchase of aeroplanes.
Onyema was indicted alongside the airline’s Head of Administration and Finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, who is said to have committed aggravated identity theft in connection with the scheme.
A US court was also reported to have issued a warrant to arrest Onyema and authorised US marshals service to bring him into custody.
The EFCC reportedly interrogated Onyema and Eghagha on Friday on their involvement in the alleged scam.
“Following his interaction with our detectives, it became imperative to restrict his movement to the country because we will need him from time to time.
“We have seized his passports for an unfettered comprehensive investigation. And so far, he has cooperated with our team.
“During our interaction, he maintained his innocence. We have, however, made progress in our preliminary investigation.
“The extradition process is within the purview of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation. You should not forget that the EFCC has to investigate, establish prima facie case and arraigning the suspects in court before any extradition application can be initiated.
“The US government knows what to do as far as the invocation of the MLAT is concerned. We are only fulfilling our own part of the collaboration with the relevant US agencies,” the newspaper quoted a source in the commission have said.
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