EFCC raids estate in Owerri over money laundering, forgery

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) executed a raid on Heartland Court Estate on Owerri Port Harcourt Road in Owerri, Imo State.

Armed with a court order for interim forfeiture, the EFCC served the order directly to the estate’s owners, US Home Depot Development Ltd. Justice [Name] issued the order, empowering the EFCC to appoint an interim receiver to oversee the estate’s management.

The estate, accused of serving as a hub for money laundering, allegedly involved collaboration between a US-based medical professional and an Abuja-based lawyer.

The lawyer stands accused of forging the signature of a company director, facilitating the doctor’s relatives to co-sign bank documents and illicitly moving billions of Naira from US Home Depot Development Ltd. The lawyer reportedly converted the laundered funds into US dollars and transferred them to the fugitive doctor in the United States.

The court, through its order, warned the public against engaging in any transactions involving the estate’s properties, emphasising that such actions would be in contempt of court.

While the US-based doctor remains at large, the EFCC has apprehended the implicated lawyer and the purported new directors.

A staff member of the estate confirmed the development and claimed to have alerted the EFCC after discovering that his signature was falsified and utilised in the fraudulent activities.

He alleged that over N800 million had been laundered.

Court injunction

The court order warned the public against engaging in any transactions involving the estate’s properties, stressing that such actions would defy the court’s directives.

In its ongoing pursuit, the EFCC has apprehended the implicated lawyer and the purported new directors.

While the hunt for the US-based doctor persists, the EFCC, according to the court, may pursue the final forfeiture of the estate if the doctor continues to evade arrest.

SOURCE: FRCN