$9.3m Scandal: Oritsejafor violated Company Law, Says Falana

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi
Falana (SAN), has accused the
President of the Christian
Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo
Oritsejafor, of breaching the
provisions of the Company and
Allied Matters Act through the use of
a private jet belonging to a company
in which he had interest to smuggle
$9.3m cash to South Africa.
Falana said by the provisions of
CAMA, the jet which was allegedly
registered for the facilitation of
evangelism could not be leased to
another company for commercial
purpose, as CAN had said while
defending Oritsejafor.
The lawyer said this in a paper he
delivered at a seminar organised for
the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission’s prosecutors by the
Justice Research Institute in Abuja.
He described as diversionary, the
statement credited to CAN that the
jet had been leased to another
company, apparently to deny
Oritsejafor’s involvement in the jet’s
mission to South Africa.
He said, “Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the
President of the Christian
Association of Nigeria, whose private
jet was used to ferry the money to
South Africa, has denounced those
who have dared to challenge the
involvement of a plane bought for
evangelism in the alleged smuggling
of laundered money.
“In spite of the diversionary
statement of CAN, the influential
pastor cannot dismiss the scandal
with a wave of the hand. With
respect, the explanation by CAN that
the jet was leased to another
company is an admission of the
breach of the law.
“A jet registered for the facilitation of
evangelism cannot be leased to
another company for commercial
purposes, as churches are
registered under part C of the
Company and Allied Matters Act as
non-profit making organisations.”
He noted that many Nigerian pastors
had been indicted in the United
Kingdom for investing church funds
in violation of the Charity Act.
He, therefore, said the CAN President
should apologise to Nigerians if he
was lucky to escape prosecution for
a breach of the provisions of CAMA.
The lawyer said, “In recent time,
some of our pastors have been
indicted in the United Kingdom for
investing church funds in business
in violation of the Charity Act.
“If Pastor Oritsejafor is lucky that he
is not prosecuted for breaching the
CAMA, he owes Nigerians a public
apology. The CAN leadership cannot
afford to engage in attacking its
political opponents in a matter
pertaining to the breach of the law.”
Falana also called for the adoption
of the recommendation of the
National Conference that the office
of the Attorney-General of the
Federation should be separated
from that of the Minister of Justice
and those of the attorneys-general
of various states be separated from
that of the commissioners for
justice.