Nigerian high court orders release of African billionaire’s properties

(180131) — ABUJA, Jan. 31, 2018 (Xinhua) — Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari (R) arrives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, capital of Nigeria, Jan. 30, 2018. Nigeria’s High Court ordered the immediate release of 2 properties located in the UK belonging to African Billionaire businessman, Benedict Peters. (Xinhua)

 JOHANNESBURG – Nigeria’s Federal High Court in the capital Abuja has ordered the immediate release of two properties located in the United Kingdom belonging to African Billionaire businessman, and CEO of the Aiteo Group, Benedict Peters, a Monday press release by Aiteo stated.

Benedict Peters had been the subject of an Interim Forfeiture Order obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) without notice to him.

In it’s Friday ruling the court upheld Peter’s case that the properties wholly belonged to him; were unconnected to Nigeria’s former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke, and were unjustifiably included in a list of properties the anti-graft agency tried to seize. 

Benedict Peters and two of his companies, Rosewood Investment limited and Colinwood limited, filed applications before Honourable Justice Binta Nyako, seeking the discharge of the forfeiture order that she had made in April and June 2016 affecting their properties.

The factual summary of the case put before the court was that Peters was the exclusive owner of the two properties and were wrongly included in a list of 19 properties in the order as allegedly belonging to the former minister.

– African News Agency (ANA)

Source: iol.co.za