between August 2012-May 2013 a period of ten (10) months, the Applicant’s
account was credited by inward transfers totalling USD14, 101,326.00 from
Nigeria, UAE and Switzerland, whilst outward transfers totalling USD17,
095,299.00 were made during the same period to accounts in India, Singapore,
United Kingdom, Nigeria, UAE, France and Switzerland.
27. Further Claim by the Respondent is that a total of USD 3,206,448.00 was
transferred from the Ritrak account to that of the Applicant (Dexter Oil). Ritrak’s
account was credited by inward transfer of US$53,140,002.00 from Nigeria, and
outward transfers amounting to USD50, 010,518.00 to Kenya, Singapore, United
Kingdom, Taiwan, and Egypt; a total of US$77,000 was transferred from the
account of Dexter Oil to that of Ritrak account.
28. It is the Respondent’s case that in August 2013, the Regulation and
Supervision Department of the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL) launched a special
investigation into the suspicious activities of the Applicant and its affiliate
company and the investigation revealed that the “Know your Customer”
requirement/regulations were not adhered to by the management of the First
International Bank and that the Applicant’s activities were indeed suspicious.
Respondent alleges that on the 24th October 2013, Three Million Dollars
(US$3,000,000.00) was again transferred by a company in Nigeria called Amni
International Petroleum Development Company Limited to the Applicant’s
account and the new management of the First International Bank promptly filed
with the Central Bank a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) and placed a freeze on
the account.
29. According to the Respondent the Central Bank wrote to First International
Bank requesting that it advised its client the Applicant that the said fund had
been placed under the category of suspicious transaction under Liberian Law
and consequently the Applicant is required to provide information of its
business turnover, the location of its offices in Liberia, evidence of tax payment
in Liberia or elsewhere and evidence of its corporate structure etc. That since
the request was made to the Applicant through its bank; no information was
provided by the Applicant or by the Bank to clarify the suspicion. The First
International Bank informed the CBL that they could not locate Mr
Chukwuemeka Ekwunife who was the sole signatory to the account and the
immigration record showed that the said Mr Chukwuemeka Ekwunife had left
the country since 21st December 2012 and had not returned.
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