By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has brought two Chinese, Huang Haoyu and An Hongxu, with a Nigerian, Audu Friday, before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The defendants are facing an 11-count charge brought by the EFCC involving cyber-terrorism, computer-related offenses, and money laundering amounting to ₦3,407,824,740.78 and $2,562,203.

According to the EFCC, the accused were part of a syndicate of 792 individuals arrested in Lagos on December 19, 2024, during the agency’s “Eagle Flush Operation.”

They were allegedly involved in cryptocurrency investment scams and romance fraud.

Investigations revealed that Friday had incorporated Genting International Co. Ltd. under the directive of Huang Haoyu

According to one of the charges, the defendants conspired to gain financial advantage by recruiting Nigerian youths to impersonate foreign nationals in fraudulent schemes.

The EFCC further alleged that they retained over ₦3.4 billion in a Union Bank account, funds suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity.

The trio pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following their pleas, EFCC prosecutor Bilkisu Buhari requested a short trial date and for the defendants to be remanded in EFCC custody.

The Defense counsel Emeka Okonkwo, SAN, also requested that they remain in EFCC custody pending their bail hearing.

Justice Osiagor granted the request, ordering their remand in EFCC custody and adjourning the case for a bail hearing.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Venezuela on Monday received nearly 200 citizens deported from the United States via Honduras, as President Donald Trump cracks down on undocumented foreigners.

A plane carrying the deportees touched down early Monday at Maiquetia International Airport outside the capital Caracas.

“Today we are receiving 199 compatriots,” said Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello at the airport.

Live footage showed young men in sweatsuits walking off the plane. Some of them were seen smiling and clapping as officials looked on.

The flight comes after Venezuela on Saturday announced it had reached an agreement with Washington to resume repatriation flights from the United States.

It was the latest in a string of repatriations of Venezuelan migrants since US President Donald Trump took office in January.

Flights are resuming,” Cabello said at the airport. “Trips have had little regularity, not because of Venezuela.”

“We are ready to receive Venezuelans wherever they are,” he added.

The deportation pipeline was suspended last month when Trump claimed Venezuela had not lived up to a deal to quickly receive deported migrants, and Caracas subsequently said it would no longer accept the flights.

But then Washington deported 238 Venezuelans accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang, which Trump has designated a foreign terrorist organization, to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, a move deeply criticized by Caracas.

Broken ties –

The migrants were deported via Honduras, the US State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said.

“We expect to see a consistent flow of deportation flights to Venezuela going forward,” it posted on X.

Last month, Trump revoked permission for oil giant Chevron to operate in Venezuela — a blow to Caracas’s wobbly economy.

The Republican president said Maduro had failed to accept deported migrants “at the rapid pace” they agreed to.

The countries broke off diplomatic relations in 2019, during Trump’s first term, after Washington recognized then-opposition leader Juan Guaido as “interim president” following 2018 elections widely rejected as neither free nor fair.

Maduro nevertheless maintained his grip on power, and Joe Biden’s administration relaxed sanctions on Venezuelan oil as part of a deal for American prisoners and a promise to hold free elections. Those promised reforms never came.

Washington did not recognize Maduro’s reelection last year to a third six-year term in a vote he is widely accused of stealing.

There had been glimmers of hope for the relationship at the start of Trump’s new term, with US envoys in Caracas for talks.

Then Trump invoked the wartime Alien Enemies Act to target Tren de Aragua, and sparked anger by reaching a deal with Salvadoran leader Nayib Bukele to use his Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) outside San Salvador.

AFP

By Francesca Hangeior

Chinese carmaker BYD saw a surge in revenue last year, a stock filing showed Monday, surpassing the $100 billion mark and beating rival Tesla as the Shenzhen-based firm accelerates its overseas expansion.

BYD has emerged in recent years as the clear leader in China’s highly competitive electric vehicle market, which is the largest in the world.

The country’s automotive champion recorded 777.1 billion yuan ($107.2 billion) in revenue for 2024, eclipsing the $97.7 billion in revenue last year announced previously by Tesla.

BYD’s figure represented a 29 percent increase from 2023 and was higher than a Bloomberg forecast of 766 billion yuan.

The firm’s net profit last year amounted to 40.3 billion yuan, up 34 percent from 2023 and reaching a record high.

The firm’s stock price also reached an all-time peak this month, after it unveiled new battery technology that it said allows a vehicle to travel up to 470 kilometres (292 miles) after charging for just five minutes.

BYD says its newest battery and charging system boasts speeds of 1,000 kW, ahead of Tesla’s Superchargers, which currently offer speeds of 500 kW.