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Corruption: US Set To Seize $7m Apartment In Trump’s Building Linked To Congolese President
The United States authorities have targeted an apartment in a Donald Trump-branded luxury Manhattan tower, where they are looking to seize a $7 million unit, prosecutors say was illicitly obtained by one of Congolese President, Denis Sassou-Nguesso’s children.
Yahoo News reports that a forfeiture complaint filed Friday in Manhattan federal court and obtained by The Daily Beast says the action “concerns the misappropriation, theft, or embezzlement of hundreds of millions of dollars from the Congolese treasury, some of which was used for the purchase of a luxury apartment in the Southern District of New York for the use of President Nguesso’s daughter.”
“That property is Unit 32G in the Trump International Hotel & Tower at 1 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023,” the complaint states.
The United States is seeking to repossess the property “because the funds used to acquire it are traceable to violations of specified unlawful activities and U.S. law,” according to the complaint.
Sassou-Nguesso, who has been described as a breathtakingly corrupt kleptocrat, has held power in Congo, almost uninterrupted, since 1979.
A past listing for the apartment says it is a corner space “overlooking Central Park and the Hudson River [and] captures the essence of the most sought after Columbus Circle neighborhood. Special features include: floor to-ceiling windows, 10′ ceilings, a gracious entrance gallery, living/dining room, a windowed eat-in-kitchen with washer/dryer, two bedrooms with spectacular views and luxurious baths ensuite, plus a powder room, capacious closets and a separate bar, ideal for entertaining. Sorry no pets allowed.”
Ownership of the Trump International Hotel & Tower is complicated, with the Trump Organisation managing the building and owning some units and hundreds of individual owners holding the rest.
On Monday, a Trump Organisation spokeswoman, Kimberly Benza, told The Daily Beast, “If this sale did occur, it would be by a 3rd party unit owner unrelated to our Organisation.”
The ties between Congolese first-daughter Claudia Lemboumba Sassou-Nguesso and the Trump International condo were first brought to light in 2019 by anti-corruption NGO Global Witness, which at the time publicly called upon the Justice Department to begin the process of seizing the two-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom unit. Sassou-Nguesso in 2014 paid a little over $4,000 a square-foot for the residence—a significant premium over the building’s median square-foot price of $2,521.
The apartment was procured via a byzantine array of shell companies and intermediaries who routed funds stolen from Congo’s public coffers through entities in Portugal, Cyprus, the British Virgin Islands, and Brazil, the forfeiture complaint states. The money finally ended up in the U.S., where Sassou-Nguesso and her enablers hired law firm K&L Gates to purchase apartment 32G “for the benefit of Sassou-Nguesso, using a portion of the laundered funds and embezzlement proceeds,” according to the complaint.
The complaint says Sassou-Nguesso was aware she could be rejected by Trump International as “a politically-exposed person,” and considered listing her cousin as the unit’s beneficial owner to avoid trouble.
However, Trump International officials told Sassou-Nguesso’s team that “it was ‘not a problem’ and that the information was ‘only for the condominium building,’” the complaint goes on. On June 24, 2014, a Portuguese businessman representing Sassou-Nguesso in the deal wired a $710,000 deposit to the condo’s seller, sending the $6,525,000 balance a month later, according to the complaint.
“In sum, the money used to purchase the Defendant Asset was a portion of the approximately USD 19.5 million of Congolese state funds embezzled through… sham contracts… and these embezzled funds were used to purchase the Defendant Asset for Sassou Nguesso’s apparent personal enrichment,” the complaint states.
After the Global Witness report was released in 2019, the Trump Organization said that monthly common charges paid by condo owners did not go directly to Trump himself “for profit.”
According to the forfeiture complaint, Sassou-Nguesso paid some $250,000 in common charges between 2018 and 2022. It says they were paid “out of bank accounts in Luxembourg, Portugal, and the United Arab Emirates” in the name of another Portuguese national fronting for Sassou-Nguesso.
Although the apartment has apparently remained unoccupied since it was purchased, prosecutors say they have reviewed emails from Sassou-Nguesso about interior design work to be conducted at the property, transferring, via her worldwide network, more than $400,000 to a Portuguese firm to carry out the job.
The apartment, according to the forfeiture complaint, “is traceable to… a conspiracy to launder the proceeds of specified unlawful activities.”
“The Court, for the reasons set forth herein, adjudge and decree that the Defendant Asset be forfeited to the United States of America and disposed of in accordance with existing laws, together with costs, and for such other relief as this Court deems proper and just,” the complaint states.
Trump’s properties, as The New York Times once said, “have a long history of serving as home to people with checkered pasts.”
Former federal prosecutor Kenneth McCallion, a onetime member of an organized crime strike force that investigated potential criminal activities during the construction of Trump Tower, told The Daily Beast that dirty money has long been attracted to Trump buildings.
“They’d pay cash for condos, held them for a few years, sold them, and the proceeds of the sale would then be clean money,” McCallion said.
Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier owned a unit in Trump Tower on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue; alleged Russian gangster David Bogatin—one of at least 13 Russian organized crime figures who have resided in the building—owned five.
A Trump development in Panama was “riddled with brokers, customers and investors who have been linked to drug trafficking and international crime,” according to a 2017 NBC News investigation.
A hotel the former president helped build in Azerbaijan was allegedly financed in large part by oligarchs with ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and at the Trump SoHo Hotel Condominium New York, 77 percent of units were sold to shell companies that paid in all-cash—an “attractive avenue for criminals to launder illegal proceeds while masking their identities,” according to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
Trump himself and the Trump Organisation have not been accused of any wrongdoing related to the Sassou-Nguesso deal.
A spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
News
(Updated) HISTORIC Citizens Engagement: HoR leaders insist “our own House is not a rubber stamp(Photos)
…reels out achievements
…treated 1,351 Bills, highest in Legislative biz since 1999
… passed 89 Bills
By Gloria Ikibah
Leaders of the tenth House of Representatives on Friday silenced arm chair critics declaring that the tenth House can never be a rubber stamp.
Speaking at a one-day Citizens Engagement, first of its kind in the annals of Nigeria’s National Assembly, the House leaders told Nigerians that the tenth House cannot be categorized as a rubber stamp.
The Speaker, Hon Tajudeen Abbas after listing the HoR people friendly motions and Bills that will enhance good governance championed by the House equally rejected the toga of rubber stamp.
The Majority leader, Prof Julius. Ihonvbere also noted that “the tax reform Bills before us has not passed second reading as we’re still adequately consulting.
“We cannot be categorized a rubber stamp as we know what we’re doing in the tenth House.
Speaking in the same vein, Minority Leader, Rep Kingsley Chinda said”we disagree to agree on topical issues and in most cases we table sensitive matters during our executive sessions and if there’s need to exchange blows, we exchange but not in public.
The Speaker vacated his seat for a 16-year-old girl to commemorate the International Day of the Girl Child.
” The constitutional review committee, led by the Deputy Speaker, continues its engagement with stakeholders on pivotal issues, including local government autonomy, electoral reform, and judicial independence.
“On 18th December 2024, President Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, presented the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly. The House has committed it to committee review and will host a Town Hall in January 2025 to gather public input, ensuring that the budget aligns with the needs of Nigerians.
” We recognize the economic challenges arising from recent reforms, including removing subsidies. In solidarity with the Nigerian populace, Members have willingly relinquished 50% of their salaries to support government efforts to mitigate these challenges’ impact.
Also at the Citizens engagement, former Speaker of the HoR, Hon Patricia Etteh advised the House leaders to document Bills in various local languages to have a general positive effect as illiteracy tends to deny others of what they ought to know.
Speaker of the eighth HoR, Hon Yakubu Dogara hailed the program noting that it’s the first time reps directly talk to the people they represent.
The Citizens Engagement interactive session had people drawn from all strata of the society, academia, civil society groups, students, rural dwellers from all the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
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Enugu Relationship Coach Sets Guinness World Record with 103 Interviews on Marriage and Family
Popular Enugu-born relationship coach, Princess Joseph Okechukwu, who broke the Guinness World Record for the longest interviewing marathon by an individual has given reasons behind achieving such feat.
The Nkanu-born lady conducted interviews for 72 hours and 12 minutes, surpassing her initial target of 65 hours and 30 seconds.
The marathon, titled Kings’ Couples Palooza, began on Thursday, December 5, 2024, to December 8, 2024 at No. 61A Ezillo Independence Layout, Enugu, where Princess Okechukwu interviewed 103 participants, including couples, singles, widows, and divorced individuals, on topics related to relationships, marriage, and personal growth.
Speaking with newsmen after achieving this feat, Princess Okechukwu thanked God for the opportunity to have achieved one of her biggest goals in life.
She stated that the zeal to inform the world about the beauty of marriage, its benefits, and more in a society that is gradually losing interest in family values prompted the Guinness World Record attempt.
She posited that there is beauty in workable marriages, and its awareness needs to be made known to all, especially those who are already misinformed.
According to her:
“This was about promoting the beauty of workable marriages and inspiring a renewed interest in family preservation.
The primary vision behind this record attempt was to show the world the beauty of workable marriage and stir the passion in them to desire them, thereby promoting marital rebirth and family preservation.
This prompted me to conduct in-depth interviews with over 100 couples and individuals, just to show the world the beauty of workable marriages and steps towards having great marriages.
I believe that there is a need for global awareness of marital rejuvenation and family strengthening, according to UN Goal 16 (Peace, Family Strengthening).
There is a need to promote marital rebirth and family preservation through mutual respect, meaningful connections, understanding of gender roles and responsibilities, trust, and right communication in relationships.”
Princess Okechukwu also narrated the challenges and ordeals encountered during the Guinness World Record attempt, which she said almost demoralized her. However, her strong will and determination helped push her through.
“It was almost a failed mission. I had few individuals who believed in my vision, and to get the support of many was hard. A series of promises from people were not fulfilled.
But despite the absence of sponsors, physical supporters, and disappointment from expected and unexpected sources, I persevered and achieved my goal. Although I didn’t meet my initial proposed expectations, I believe that I delivered my best effort considering the resources available to me. My passion for promoting global awareness of marital rebirth and family preservation drove me forward, resonating deeply within me. I sought to demonstrate that a determined girl-child can accomplish extraordinary feats despite obstacles, as long as she believes in herself. Another source of my motivation was to make my husband, children, family, community, state, and country proud.”
She, however, thanked all those who availed their time, resources, and more to ensure a successful outing, while also urging everyone to join hands in strengthening the marital institution across the globe.
“I am grateful to everyone who supported me throughout this endeavor, including the participants, volunteers, and witnesses. This achievement would not have been possible without their collective efforts.
As I look to the future, I am excited to continue promoting the importance of relationships, marriages, family, and community building. This record attempt has inspired me to pursue new initiatives and projects that foster meaningful connections and personal growth. Let us all join hands to make marriage a formidable institution for societal growth across the globe.”
Reports also have it that independent witnesses and timekeepers verified the record attempt, ensuring all guidelines were followed during the Guinness World Record attempt, while volunteers also provided logistical support throughout the event.
Akeliciousnews
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SHOCKING! Wife allegedly k!lls husband over infidelity
A Nigerian wife in Ekiti has allegedly killed her husband by striking him on the head with a stick after he caught her in bed with another man.
The incident was shared on a popular social media platform, X formerly known as Twitter.
According to an anonymous post, the man had been suspicious of his wife’s infidelity and eventually caught her in the act.
Upon being confronted, the wife allegedly hit him on the head with a stick, leading to his death.
The post read: “With ache in my heart ńa in I dey type this thing One woman just hit her husband 2by2 for head where he no go escape death because he’s been hearing say she dey cheat, lo and behold he caught her and the man never knew it would be the end of him.”
“He’s dead. Woman wey dey cheat, if she no kill herself she go kill husband, today this saying come to pass live and direct in ldo Ekiti.”
As the story circulated online, it sparked widespread reactions, with many users sharing their thoughts in the comment section.
See reactions below:
@caeser5: “Na madness I go use know say my wife don knack another man.”
@janetfunmi: “And she will pay dearly for it. Something she will regret.”
@ifemi333: “A cheating woman when caught is dangerous, don’t sleep in the same house moments she is caught cheating. Don’t eat her food if possible go report her to the police station for eviction immediately for your own safety.”
@gdc4bb: “Man went to confront a lioness in her lair. Now he has left the land of the living while she lives to face the law.”
@MrWhizdom: “I’m not going to lie , I’ve always been thinking maybe you can give a woman a second chance if she cheats. Man I’m happy this community exists. I’ve learnt things I didn’t even know I was supposed to learn.”
@Dim_Arinze: “Rumours are enough for me to quarantine a woman from myself. Then after investigating , I can continue depending on the results. Talk more of the actual cheating.”
@kshort: “More to say, once you caught your wife cheating; don’t drag anything with her. Just call everyone and end it there. Don’t let her kill you oooo.”
@sokabullah: “If only my gender could be bold enough to do the needful once you discover you have one around you.”
@Jb_Phraidezyy: “My question is, why be in a relationship if you can’t stay true to the one you call your partner. Na God go punish that woman and my babe.’
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