BEVERLY HILLS, December 7, (THEWILL) – The FCT High Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of government, has squashed multiple money laundering charges and bribery of election officials indictment against Mr. Benedict Peters and his company, Northern Belt and declared their $60m donation to then ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, legal and constitutional under Nigerian laws.
Justice Adeniyi delivered the ruling in a suit filled by an Abuja based human rights activist, Comrade Akimoju against the businessman and his company.
THEWILL recalls that in the run up to the 2015 presidential election, Peters and his company alongside some oil major oil players raised about $115m for the PDP and warehoused the cash at one of the local banks. The money was eventually disbursed by the bank on the orders of former Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, who managed the campaign war chest of the party. Part of cash was used to bribe election officials.
Akimoju, the Plaintiff had in suit filed in November sought an order of the court to compel security agencies to arrest and prosecute Peters and his company for money laundering, bribery of electoral officers and corruption.
He is also alleged a violation of the electoral act on the premise that the donation was above the statutory donation limit an individual or corporation can make to a party for election campaigns.
But Justice Adeniyi threw out all the charges saying there is no Nigerian law that bars corporations and individuals from donating to a political party or limiting the amount they can donate to a party, hence he is unable to find the Defendants guilty of the crimes alleged.
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