Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the temporary forfeiture of several properties seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from Genting International Limited, a company linked to alleged fraudulent activities involving some Chinese and Filipino nationals.
The properties were recovered from a syndicate of 792 foreign nationals involved in cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud, arrested on December 10, 2024, by EFCC operatives during a raid on their hideout located at 7 Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Justice Dipeolu granted the order after entertaining an ex parte application filed by the anti-graft agency, represented by its lawyer, Bima Isah, under Section 44(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act of 2006.
While moving the application, Isah argued that the Commission had received intelligence regarding a large-scale fraud operation involving foreign nationals in Lagos.
The prosecution also claimed that the syndicate financed its activities through Genting International Co. Limited (GICL) and that the properties in question were „reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity.“
After reviewing the arguments presented by the EFCC counsel, Justice Dipeolu granted the order.
He also instructed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper, allowing anyone interested in the properties to appear in court within 14 days to show cause why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
Among the properties ordered to be surrendered to the government are seven vehicles, 1,569 computers and laptops, 4,091 phones, 3,399 SIM cards, seven generators, 40 refrigerators, 129 air conditioning units, and 14 inverters.
In an affidavit attached to the application and sworn to by an EFCC investigator, Kaina Garba, the anti-graft agency averred that the orders are needed to prevent the tempering of the properties by the Respondents or their proxies and/or dissipating of same as they represent instruments used in computer-related fraud and money laundering by a group of foreign criminal syndicates operating in Lagos, Nigeria.
The applicant also claimed that the Commission received an intelligence report that deals with and borders on cases of computer-related fraud, money laundering, and organised crime operations by Chinese foreign and other national criminal syndicates.
The deponent further stated, „Upon investigation, preliminary investigation revealed that an organised syndicate of Chinese nationals operating under the name and style of the Respondent is recruiting and training Nigerian youths in computer-related fraud and other cyber-fraud-related activities.
„That investigation revealed that upon the Respondent recruiting and training the Nigerian youths, a computer system and a mobile phone with a dedicated and specially configured line is assigned to each recruit, wherein they are trained to study and master all kinds of scripted formats which involve dating, romance and investment scam fraud.
„Based on the above intelligence, the Commission on the 10th December, 2024, conducted a joint sting operation at No. 7 Oyinjolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, suspected to be the headquarters of the criminal syndicate in Lagos.
„That in the course of the investigation, operatives of the Applicant took inventories of items recovered from the said premises suspected to be instrumentalities of the criminal activities of the Respondent and its alter egos.
„Several foreign nationals and Nigerians, totalling 761 suspects, were arrested and brought to the Commission‘s office for investigation.
„That the suspected leaders and financiers of this criminal syndicate, up until the filing of this application, are still at large but being trailed by the Operatives of the applicant.“
The applicant also claimed that the investigation has yet to conclude regarding the main perpetrators, both foreign nationals and Nigerians, and others now at large, linked to computer-related fraud and money laundering.
