Connect with us

News

Panama Papers law firm boss, Ramon Fonseca is dead

Published

on

By Francesca Hangeior

Panamanian lawyer Ramon Fonseca, one of the heads of the now-defunct law firm Mossack Fonseca that was at the epicenter of the global “Panama Papers” scandal, died while awaiting sentencing in his money-laundering trial, his lawyer said Thursday.

During the night Fonseca “died while hospitalized”, a member of his legal team told AFP, adding that the health concerns were “why he did not attend the trial” that opened on April 8.
No further details were given about the cause of death of Fonseca, 71, who died in hospital in Panama City.

Documents leaked from Mossack Fonseca, which were published in 2016, revealed how many of the world’s wealthy stashed assets in offshore companies, triggering scores of investigations around the globe.

Advertisement

Prosecutors had requested a sentence of 12 years in prison for the firm’s two founders, Fonseca and his colleague Jurgen Mossack, whose money-laundering hearing ended on April 19.

The pair were on trial alongside more than two dozen others, mainly former employees. Fonseca did not attend the hearings.

The prosecution accused Mossack and Fonseca of “concealing, covering up and providing false information to banks for the opening of accounts and concealing ownership of assets.”

The pair was also alleged to have “received and transferred funds from illicit activities in Germany and Argentina.”

Advertisement

The trove of 11.5 million leaked files implicated influential figures including billionaires, politicians and sports stars.

Many of those caught up in the scandal put forward reasons to explain their offshore presence and said they did not act illegally.

Even so, Mossack Fonseca said in 2018 that it would close due to “irreparable damage” to its reputation.

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Tinubu fires DG names replacement (photos)

Published

on

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

President Bola Tinubu has fired Nura Sani Kangiwa as Director-General of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR).

Recall that Sani Kangiwa was appointed NIHOTOUR DG in September 2020 by former president, Muhammadu Buhari.

Though no official reason was provided for the dismissal, it is possible that his tenure had come to an end.

Advertisement

However, in his place, President Tinubu on Thursday last week appointed Abisoye Fagade as the new Director-General of NIHOTOUR.

Dr. Abisoye Fagade is a marketing communication professional.

He is the founder and managing director of Sodium Brand Solutions.

President Tinubu urged the newly appointed officer to discharge his duties with dedication, patriotism, and excellence.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

Banditry! Police Officer feared K!lled As Gunmen Attack Lawmaker’s Convoy in Abia State

Published

on

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A policeman attached to the member representing Isialangwa North and South Federal Constituency of Abia State, Hon. Ginger Onwusibe has been feared dead.

The incident happened around 9pm at Ubakala Umuahia South.

According to a police source, gunmen dressed in black and wearing police-style armor jackets had blocked the convoy of the House of Representatives member with a Toyota Corolla.

Advertisement

The lawmaker was not in the vehicle when the incident happened but at least two police officers and a driver were in the vehicle.

The gunmen opened fire on the escorts after they identified themselves as police officers.

In the process, a police officer was killed, while another officer was injured. The attackers fled the scene, and the police station at Ubakala responded with gunfire.

Attempts to contact the Abia State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO) was unsuccessful. Police sources said officers of the command are on the trail of the suspects it believes are kidnappers.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

News

Kwankwaso cries out, says there are plots to colonise north

Published

on

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 election and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has alleged plans from Lagos to colonise the northern region.

Kwankwaso, who made the allegation while delivering a speech during the convocation ceremony of Skyline University, Kano, also claimed that Lagos has been on the way to the issue of emirates tussle in Kano State.

Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, also lamented the avalanche of challenges bedeviling the North, including economic crisis, insecurity, poverty, hunger and different kinds of diseases, saying the situation is not good for the country.

Advertisement

Kwankwaso said, “Let me note our situation here in Kano and indeed northern Nigeria. The emir is just being a stooge at this very difficult time, especially in this part of the country (northern Nigeria).

“Today, we can see very clearly that there is a lot of efforts from the Lagos axis to colonize this part of the country. Today, Lagos wouldn’t allow us to choose an emir, Lagos has to come to the centre of Kano to put their own emir.”

Kwankwaso also spoke on tax collection, saying, “Today, we are aware that the Lagos young men are working so hard to impose taxes and take away our taxes from Kano and this part of the country to Lagos.

“Today, as we have seen, even the telephones that we make or register here in Kano, efforts are there to take all the taxes to Lagos.

Advertisement

“Even our sons and daughters who have brought factories many of them here in Kano and northern Nigeria and even banks, somehow, they are forced to take their headquarters to Lagos because taxes will now have to go to Lagos.”

The former Kano governor also spoke on the disparity between the rich and the poor saying, “We have seen the efforts of some people to make the poor poorer and the rich richer and I believe this is more dangerous.”

Kwankwaso therefore called on the lawmakers from the northern part of the country to wake up and make sure the region is not cheated in any way.

“At this moment, I would like to call all our National Assembly members to keep their eyes open so that they don’t do anything that would cheat the people of northern Nigeria, especially here, Kano.

Advertisement

“We are witnesses to what happened during the first term, 1999 to 2000, where our members of the National Assembly were bribed, were treated into collecting huge sums of money to support offshore in this country. That law put a huge blow into our economy not only here in northern Nigeria but all other states.”

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Naija Blitz News