Air Peace Chief executive officer, Allen Onyema has denied all fraud allegations by the USA, stating that they are false and are in no way in line with his character as a person and as a businessman whose only aim has been to build Nigeria and improve wellbeing.
Mr Onyema was accused of moving more than $20 million from Nigeria through US bank accounts in a scheme involving “false documents” based on the purchase of aeroplanes.
The Nigerian businessman was indicted alongside Ejiroghene Eghagha, the airline’s chief of administration and finance, who is said to have committed aggravated identity theft in connection with the scheme.
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According to a statement issued by the District Attorney’s office on Friday, Mr Onyema and Mr Eghagha were indicted on November 19, 2019, on one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, three counts of bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit credit application fraud, and three counts of credit application fraud.
“Onyema allegedly leveraged his status as a prominent business leader and airline executive while using falsified documents to commit fraud,” Byung J, US attorney for the northern district of Georgia, was quoted in the statement.
“We will diligently protect the integrity of our banking system from being corrupted by criminals, even when they disguise themselves in a cloak of international business.”
But Onyema denied the accusations, saying that “As the press statement clearly stated, these are indictment that only contains charges. I am innocent of all charges and the US government will find no dirt on me because I have never conducted business with any illegalities.
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“Be rest assured that I also have my lawyers on this and these mere allegations will be refuted. I never laundered money in my life, neither have I committed bank fraud anywhere in the world. Every Kobo I transferred to the US for aircraft purchase went through the Central Bank of Nigeria LC regime and all were used for the same purpose.
“The American companies that received the funds are still in business. I never took a penny from any US bank or Nigerian bank. I am willing to defend my innocence in the US courts,”
