Court Orders FG, UK Crime Agency, Others To Pay AITEO Boss N200m Damages Over Trumped Up Allegations

An Abuja High Court has declared all allegations of corruption, bribery and money laundering made against AITEO boss and international billionaire businessman, Benedict Peters by British and Nigerian agencies arising from his ownership of a number of properties as baseless as they were premised on trumped up charges that constituted abuse of state power.

The court therefore declared that Peters is a person of legitimate means and livelihood and he and his related companies are the  lawful owners of some properties wrongfully listed as owned by Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, a one time Minister of Petroleum Resources.

The suit marked FCT/HC/CV/0536/17 filed by Benedict Peters and three of his companies, Colinwood Limited, Rosewood Investments Limited and Walworth Properties Limited, listed the Attorney General of the Federation, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of the United Kingdom, Helen Hughes of the CPS, the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom and its investigators Stacey Boniface and John Bavister as defendants.

The Court, however, in its judgement held that the  defendants, by fraudulent design, suppressed and misrepresented facts in supposition that four properties  namely: 270-17 Street, Unit #4204, Atlanta, Georgia, Flat 5 Parkview, 83-86 Prince Albert Road, St. John’s Wood, London, Flat 58 Harley House Marylebone, London, and Apartment 4, 5 Arlington Road, London that were legitimately acquired by the Claimant belonged to Mrs. Alison Madueke, a fact they knew or ought to know as unsustainably untrue.

In reaching the critical conclusions, the court found through evidence adduced, documents and subsisting court judgments that Peters established  proprietorship ownership of all the properties.

In an enrolled judgement of the court, obtained by New Telegraph, Justice Adeniyi made a number of declaratory and injunctive reliefs in favour of Benedict Peters and the other claimants including an award of damages jointly and severally against the defendants in the sum of N200 million.