The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, has initiated bankruptcy proceedings against the Chairman of Milan Industries Limited, Milan Nigeria Ltd and Milan Beverages Ltd, Rajesh Valecha and four other directors of the companies over their alleged inability to repay a N42billion debt.
The other directors, named in five petitions, now pending before two judges of the Federal High Court in Lagos, are: Ramesh Valechha, Vikram Valechha, Odunlami Bayo and Akin Femiwa Akinsola.
In the petitions filed by its lawyer, Kunle Ogunba, SAN, AMCON stated that the debt, which now stands at N41,511,758,031.14 arose from several loan facilities obtained from Skye Bank (now Polaris Bank) between 2010 and 2012 by Milan Industries Ltd and Milan Nigeria Ltd, for which the directors are now liable.
Stating that it has since acquired the debt from the bank, AMCON added that the debtor companies applied majority of the loan facilities to the construction of a 361-room hotel facility at 52 Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, formally known as Intercontinental Hotel (now Lagos Continental Hotel).
AMCON is praying the court for among others, an order appointing a trustee against the estate, funds, investment, shares or other interest of the directors, “principally as they may be vested, constituted or evinced in Milan Industries Limited, Milan Nigeria Limited, and Milan Beverages Limited which interest is held either directly or through the said Milan Industries Limited and/or in any other company within and outside Nigeria.
“AMCON is equally seeking consequential order empowering it to sell the directors’ properties (be it landed or chattels) where – ever situate and/or found including but not limited to his shares principally in Milan Industries Limited, Milan Nigeria Limited, and Milan Beverages Limited which interest is held directly or through the said Milan Industries Limited either by private treaty or by public auction which occasion shall be published in two widely read and circulated national daily newspapers in Nigeria.
“Also, AMCON wants an order granting it leave to appropriate or otherwise utilize the investments, shares or other interests of the directors in the companies and in any other company/corporate entity in Nigeria or outside Nigeria in partial or full satisfaction of the debt due, as the case may be.
“On March 21 Justice Daniel Osiagor granted AMCON leave to effect substituted service of relevant court documents, including the petitions on Ramesh Valechha and Vikram Valechha. Similar orders for substituted service were earlier made in the petitions against the other three directors.”
While Justice Osiagor is hearing three of the petitions (filed against Ramesh Valechha, Vikram Valechha and Akin Femiwa Akinsola), Justice Yelim Bogoro is handling two (filed against Rajesh Valecha and Odunlami Bayo).
Both judges had, in earlier rulings, issued ex-parte injunctions restraining the directors from tampering with their assets and ordering banks to provide information about their financial standing.