Defendant’s Code of Conduct Declaration Form, where he had made no Declaration of any of those
Funds regarding the operation of any of the Foreign Bank Accounts.
He returned to London and continued his investigation, and in July 2004, Joyce Oyebanjo was arrested
at her residence and later granted bail. She was interviewed, cautioned in the company of a Solicitor
whereby she admitted knowing the Defendant and further stated that all the Funds sent to her from
Nigeria were from the Defendant for the upkeep of his Children and Maintenance of his Property at
Flat 28 Regent Plaza Apartment. She was paying Utility and Gas Bills and he suspected that the Flat
belonged to the Defendant based on the Family Portrait he saw hanging on the wall, the Defendant’s
Clothing hanging in the Wardrobe, and Large Quantities of Documents in the Defendant’s name. He
contacted the Land Registry, who provided him with the name of the Law Firm of Rowberry Morris,
which did the Legal Paperwork to purchase the house for the Sum of £395, 000 in September 2001
and the Property was registered in the name of one Joseph Dagwan, whose name he believed, was
false.
He was given a Copy of the Ledger that showed an initial deposit of £300 paid by Grow Court Homes,
a Company owned by one Samson Okeke, a Relative of one Babatunde Lucky Omonuwa who owns
Pinnacle Communications Limited. The Ledger from the Solicitors’ Firm also showed Two Payments
of Fees in the Sum of £34,000 and £315,000, approximately totalling £395,000. He contacted
Barclays Bank who confirmed Pinnacle Communications Limited to be their Customer, who
maintained a US Dollar Account at their Knightsbridge Bank in London, and from whose Account the
Money was paid to the Solicitors.
Mr. Okeke informed him that Mr. Lucky had a driver named Wagdi Mikhail, who Mr. Clark later
arrested and interviewed. He got to know from Wagdi Mikhail, the driver, that on a certain day, he
drove the Defendant and Lucky Omonuwa to view Flat 28 Regent Plaza, when it was put up for sale.
Mr. Lucky Omonuwa was then arrested at the Heathrow Airport on his way to Nigeria and during his
interview under caution, Mr. Clark put it to him that the purchase of Regent Plaza was part of a
kickback for the Award of a Large Contract to install Televisions in Plateau State. Mr. Lucky Omonuwa
denied this, but admitted purchasing 28 Regent Plaza on behalf of the Defendant, stating that the
Defendant gave him the Naira equivalent of £395,000.
Sometime in September 2004, Mr. Clark received information that the Defendant was at the Marriot
Hotel, George Street, off Edgware Road, London. On the 2nd of September 2004, he and two Officers
went to Room 1208, which was occupied by the Defendant, where he was informed that his Bank
Accounts, being investigated, were suspected to domicile Stolen Funds. The Defendant’s Room was
searched and the Sum of £43,000 in Cash was found. As a result, the Defendant was arrested and
cautioned on Money Laundering Charges. He was asked if he travelled alone to which he replied that
he did.
However, Mr. Peter Clark had earlier received contrary information from the Hotel, that the
Defendant had also booked Room 1220 for his Personal Assistant, Christabel Bentu. She was also
searched and found to be in possession of the Defendant’s Passport, Flight Tickets and £50,000 in
Cash. She was also arrested on suspicion of Money Laundering. From the Defendant’s Bank Accounts
and International Passport, it could be seen that the Defendant had travelled all around the World.
The Monies recovered from the Defendant in different Denominations of Pounds, Euros and Scottish
Bank Notes, were bagged and signed by the Defendant, which Mr. Clark later photocopied. The
Defendant was taken to the Marylebone Police Station and his Personal Assistant was taken to West66