A Lagos State-based oil magnate and former Managing Director of Duport Midstream Company Limited, Atlantic Refineries and Chairman of Platform Capital, Akintoye Akindele, has travelled out of the country amid trial and invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
He was not in court for trial over alleged diversion of $5,636,397.01 and N73,543,763.25 said to belong to Summit Oil International Limited.
Akindele, who was to appear before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos on October 2, 2024, did not show up.
A media practitioner, Lere Olayinka, said in a statement on Sunday that he sent a lawyer, Akin Apara, from Bolaji Ayodinde Chambers, to inform the court that he had an order from another court to travel abroad.
He disclosed that Akindele, who is also being investigated alongside others by the EFCC over alleged misappropriation of the $35 million (about N56 billion) meant for Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited in Bayelsa State, has refused to honour the anti-corruption agency’s invitation.
Olayinka, who said his interest in the Akindele’s alleged scams was on behalf of his victims, said the alleged $5,636,397.01 and N73,543,763.25 (about N11 billion) fraud case has been adjourned to November 21, 2024 for the commencement of trial.
He recalled that Justice James Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja had on May 9, 2024 ordered that the trial of Akindele in an alleged $5.6 million fraud be moved from the Abuja Division to the Lagos Division of the court.
Olayinka further disclosed that another case of Akindele’s alleged bribery of the police with the sum of N150 million to stall their investigation will begin in Lagos on October 29.
It should be recalled that in May this year, a former member of the House of Representatives, Israel Sunny-Goli, petitioned the EFCC, seeking the probe of a multi-million naira investments made by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, among which was the Atlantic Refinery project.
Sunny-Goli disclosed that a full investment of $35 million was made for the Atlantic Refinery project, which was expected to be a 2,000 bpd modular refinery with a jetty facility and 2MW power plant, with a duration of 24 months completion at the Brass Free Trade Zone.
He said in the petition: “Its target completion period was 24 months from the date of financial close.
“Full investment amount of $35 million was released in one bullet in October 2020.
The project has stalled and has little or nothing to show for the disbursement made.”
Listed in the petition were Dr. Akintoye; NCDMB former Executive Secretary, Simbi Wabote; and Director, Finance and Personnel Management, Isaac Yalah; as the principal suspects in the alleged scam.
Olayinka said: “I have read in the media that Simbi Wabote, Isaac Yalah and some other top functionaries of the NCDMB have been interrogated and even detained by the EFCC.
“However, Akindele, the brain behind the alleged $35 million Atlantic Refinery scam is yet to honour the EFCC invitation.
“Akindele was alleged to have set up the company with N10 million share capital in 2020, the same year the $35 million Refinery deal was sealed.
“The last time he (Akintoye) was invited by the EFCC, he simply sent his lawyer, who was said to have claimed that he had a court order to travel abroad and he traveled since last month.
“He has moved from Cape Town in South Africa to Paris in France.
“His last destination was London.”