Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, SCUML of
Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday arrested
officials of a real estate firm and two hotels in Abuja for non-compliance with
extant regulations mandating Designated Non- Financial Institutions, DNFIs to
register with the Unit in line with the anti-money laundering laws.
Those arrested in a special operation conducted in
conjunction with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC are Isemede
Mac-Henry, General Manager/Accountant, First Group Real Estate Company; Fadipe
Emmanuel Abiodun, Managing Director, Alexis Hotel and Ekanem Ibok Essien,
Managing Director, Rittman Suites.
Aside from enforcing compliance with regulations, Angela
Nworgu, Head SCUML said the intelligence-driven raid is aimed at uncovering the
beneficial ownership of entities that could be used to launder money within and
outside Nigeria.
First Group Real Estate Company which has foreign
ownership has been involved in the marketing, promotion and sale of off-shore
real estate primarily in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Nworgu called on DNFIs to continue to abide by extant
regulations to avoid the wrath of the law.
Section 5 of the Money Laundering Act 2011 require
existing DNFIs to submit to the ministry of commerce, within three months from
the commencement of the Act, a declaration of their activities and all record
of transactions in chronological order, indicating each customer’s surname,
forenames and address.
DFNIs include dealers in jewelleries, cars, supermarkets
and luxury goods, chartered accountants, audit firms, tax consultants, clearing
and settlement companies, legal practitioners, hotels, casinos, or such other
businesses as the Federal Ministry of Commerce or appropriate regulatory
authorities may from time to time designate.
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