Popular socialite and businessman Emeka Okonkwo, widely known as E-Money, has denied an allegation of fraud.
Naijaonpoint reports that a Lagos-based Vehicle dealing company, Autocorp Limited, had petitioned the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Alagbon, over an alleged ₦1.21 billion dispute with E-Money.
In a petition to the FCID, Raymond Olaiya, the lawyer representing the vehicle-dealing company, described the monetary dispute involving the company and the businessman as one of “stealing, fraudulent conversion, and criminal sale.”
According to the petition, the company stated that it contracted Okonkwo’s company, Emy Cargo and Shipping Limited, to clear eight vehicles from the Nigerian Ports at Apapa between 2020 and 2021.
It said the vehicles comprised six TXL Prado and two Lexus jeeps valued at N1.2 billion, adding that despite Okonkwo clearing the vehicles, the company had yet to take delivery of them to date.
The company claimed that the eight Four-Wheel Drive jeeps had never been delivered since Emy Cargo cleared them from the Nigerian Ports.
Reacting to the claim in an interview with The Punch on Wednesday, Okonkwo said the allegation was not true but confirmed that a business transaction happened between both parties.
He said, “It is a false allegation; it is not true. There is a resolution and a business transaction between both parties. However, I am not in town. It is not a phone talk. I will be available on Friday; I am giving you an appointment so you can come over to hear my side of the story.”
Police React
Speaking with the newspaper, the spokesperson for the FCID Annex, Alagbon, Aminat Mayegun, confirmed that Okonkwo had been under investigation.
She said, “Yes, we are investigating the matter concerning (Okonkwo). The matter is about the conversion, and it is being investigated by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Force. The case is under investigation; we have extended an invitation to him and he has acknowledged the investigation.
“Based on the petition, he was once invited and he came. And now, we have to call both parties involved for another discussion and a date has been scheduled for it.”