Polymer Fraud - Ex-Mint Boss for UK Trial

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has initiated an extradition process to hand over former managing director of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), Emmanuel Okoyomon, to the British government to face trial in the United Kingdom over alleged forgery and identity fraud involving billions of naira.

Dependable sources at the anti-graft agency told LEADERSHIP last night that the extradition process initiated through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice followed a mutual legal assistance request by the British government.

LEADERSHIP had in June this year reported exclusively that the EFCC had indicted Okoyomon after a joint investigation by the United Kingdom (UK) Special Fraud Unit and Interpol, which was said to have revealed the forgery and money laundering activities the former MINT boss had been allegedly committing, including a bribery scam with money running into over N750million.

A document by the anti-graft agency, signed by its director of operations, Olaolu Adegbeti, showed that Okoyomon had committed forgery and identity thefts which he used as cover to launder huge sums of money during his tenure as chief executive of the organisation.

Both Interpol and the UK Special Fraud Unit, it was learnt, had earlier traced part of the polymer printing bribery monies to the accounts of the former MINT boss' wife, Mrs Adejoke Ehi Okoyomon, in Canada which has also been frozen.

By George Agba

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