Three years after a law firm, LAWLEAD Consult petitioned the Inspector-General of Police to investigate alleged cases of Criminal Breach of Trust and Forgery against an Indian firm, Transformers and Rectifiers (India) Limited in a $25 million transformer deal, the suspects are yet to honour the invitation of the Nigeria Police through INTERPOL NCB Abuja even as the Indian company continues to make money from Nigeria.
In the petition sighted by journalist and signed by Abubakar Yahaya Ndakene, the law firm called for the investigation of the chairman of Transformers and Rectifiers (Indian) Limited, Jitendra Mamtora and the managing director, Satyen Mamtora to answer the allegations against them and their company.
LEADERSHIP Weekend findings showed that trouble started when Transformers and Rectifiers (Indian) Limited secured a $25 million transformer deal to supply transformers to Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), in a World Bank funded project, midwifed by their Nigerian agent, P-NEC Nigeria Ltd.
However, the company failed to pay the agreed commission of about 10 per cent to the Nigeria counterpart, which has triggered legal battle since 2020.
Despite letters of invitation sent to the Indian company and their executives from INTERPOL and having knowledge of the case against them before the courts in Nigeria, they have allegedly refused to honour the invitations, instead, the suspects and their company sent Indian lawyers to observe proceedings filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
In their lawyer’s words, “The defendants are absent. They sent lawyers from India – namely Aisnmwarya Reddy and Mr Vinay Suarma to observe proceedings.”
In a swift reaction and to ensure justice, INTERPOL, after receiving the petition and carrying out their investigation, placed Jitendra Mamtora and Satyen Mamtora on red notice, which led to the arrest of the former in Italy.
However, after the detention of Jitendra Mamtora in Italy, he moved to India and the Indian INTERPOL notified INTERPOL Nigeria of his arrival and requested that INTERPOL Nigeria follow diplomatic channels for the extradition of the suspect.
The Attorney General of the federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, has already signed extradition requests, which are already in India while the process is ongoing as the global community watches to see the next step India will take on this case.
One of the complaints against the Indians by the petitioners is for alleged forgery of a court affidavit in Nigeria. This led to the call for investigation of forgery against the Indians by the Nigeria Police Force.
On whether full payment has been made to the Indian Company for the supply of the Transformers, the source further confirmed that the Indian company has collected 90 per cent of the contract sum, leaving a balance of 10 per cent retention which is to be collected after the completion of the contract.
However, this is presently stalled by the Police investigation and litigations on the subject matter, which prevents TCN from paying the 10 per cent of the contract sum pending the full determination of the matters.
Meanwhile, the Indian suspects, through their Nigerian lawyers, have filed a fundamental rights suit claiming that their rights to personal liberty and freedom were infringed upon. The case comes up at the Federal High Court 10, sitting in Abuja, presided by Justice Evelyn Maha on Monday.
INTERPOL and the office of the attorney general of the federation are reportedly closely monitoring the matter ahead of the next hearing date of the extradition charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja, scheduled for April 15, 2024, where the two Indian suspects have filed an application to strike out the charges against them.
