By Ayo Kehinde
My Allen Onyema, the CEO and Chairman of Nigerian airline Air Peace, has joined words with the Attorneys in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States of America who have accused him of money laundering to the tune of $44.9 million funelled into bank accounts in the Atlanta through several allegedly fraudulent organisations which he chairs.
Onyema, who caught the Nigerian public imagination and earned their gratitude for donating his aircrafts to airlift hundreds of their compatriots from Xenophobic attacks in South Africa, has claimed that he is innocent of the allegation.
In a statement by his lawyers, A.O Alegeh & Co, issued on Saturday 23, “Onyema strongly denies and will vigorously defend himself against the allegations made against him by the US Attorney in Atlanta, Georgia in relation to purchase of Aircraft spares and Aircraft maintenance”.
The lawyers explained that none of the “allegations involve third party funds but relate to his funds utilized in the aircraft business”, adding that as far as they know, “no bank in the United State, Nigeria or elsewhere, company or individual suffered any financial loss”.
The statement ended by saying that the international airline CEO, “looks forward to an opportunity to refute the allegations in Court”
According to U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak., Onyema is using many fronts to drive his alleged fraudulent activities, namely the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony, International Center for Non-Violence and Peace Development, and All-Time Peace Media Communications Limited since 2010 with over $44.9 million transferred into his Atlanta based accounts from foreign sources between that year and 2018. Pak said Onyema is also being “charged with bank fraud and money laundering for moving more than $20 million from Nigeria through United States bank accounts in a scheme involving false documents based on the purchase of airplanes.”
Air Peace Chief of Administration and Finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, has also been charged with bank fraud and committing aggravated identity theft in connection with the scheme.
“Onyema allegedly leveraged his status as a prominent business leader and airline executive while using falsified documents to commit fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “We will diligently protect the integrity our banking system from being corrupted by criminals, even when they disguise themselves in a cloak of international business.”
Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division commented on the indictment, “Allen Onyema’s status as a wealthy businessman turned out to be a fraud. He corrupted the U.S. banking system, but his trail of deceit and trickery came to a skidding halt. DEA would like to thank the many law enforcement partners and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office who aided in making this investigation a success.”
According to the legal and forensic investigations Onyema, together with Eghagha, in May 2016, allegedly used a series of export letters of credit to cause banks to transfer more than $20 million into Atlanta-based bank accounts controlled by Onyema. “The letters of credit were purportedly to fund the purchase of five separate Boeing 737 passenger planes by Air Peace. The letters were supported by documents such as purchase agreements, bills of sale, and appraisals proving that Air Peace was purchasing the aircraft from Springfield Aviation Company LLC, a business registered in Georgia.
“However, the supporting documents were fake — Springfield Aviation Company LLC, which is owned by Onyema and managed by a person with no connection to the aviation business, never owned the aircraft, and the company that allegedly drafted the appraisals did not exist. Eghagha allegedly participated in this scheme as well, directing the Springfield Aviation manager to sign and send false documents to banks and even using the manager’s identity to further the fraud. After Onyema received the money in the United States, he allegedly laundered over $16 million of the proceeds of the fraud by transferring it to other accounts.
“Allen Ifechukwu Athan Onyema, 56, of Lagos, Nigeria, and Ejiroghene Eghagha, 37, of Lagos, Nigeria, were indicted on November 19, 2019, on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, three counts of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit credit application fraud, and three counts of credit application fraud. Additionally, Onyema was charged with 27 counts of money laundering, and Eghagha was charged with one count of aggravated identity theft.”
