$9.6b P&ID Fraud: Nolan Flouted Money Laundering Act, his Company Failed to Pay Tax – Witness
May 10, 2024
Fourth Prosecution Witness, (PW4) Isah Daku Sulaiman in the trial of MICAD Project City Service Limited and James Nolan on Thursday, May 9, 2024, informed Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja that a report from the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, SCUML showed that Nolan, second defendant and a director in the company flouted provisions of Nigeria’s Money Laundering Act in all of his activities with the company.
On cross-examination by defence counsel, Michael Ajara, the witness informed the court that the investigation team sought SCUML’s evaluation of documents relating to Nolan’s activities for compliance with Nigeria’s Money Laundering Act, which he said, came out in the negative.
“As I stated in my previous statement, under examination- in-chief, the second defendant confirmed to us that the company was not registered. We therefore forwarded a request for the confirmation of the statement and the response turned out to be the same with the statement of the second defendant. So both the SCUML and the second defendant confirmed that the company was not registered,” he said.
He further informed the court that the first defendant, MICAD Project City Service Limited did not pay taxes to the federal government.
He further stated that Nolan voluntarily resigned in MICAD Project City Service Limited as director but upon the death of Michael Quinn and Lloyd Quinn, who were also directors in the company, his name materialized yet again as a serving director in the company, raising fears of forgery.
When asked if investigations showed who forged the document upon which Nolan strangely became a director in MICAD Project City Service Limited for the second time, the witness stated that report from the Forensic Department showed that Nolan did.
On his part, Fifth Prosecution Witness, PW5, Chris Ezegwu, while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Bala Sangha, informed the court that he received an email from Nolan, containing the death certificates of Michael and Lloyd Quinn.
“I am a legal practitioner, I am here to confirm that I received a forwarded email from one Jim Nolan and in one bracket again ICILLIMITED@YAHOO.COM.
It was a forwarded email but it had two attachments, one death certificate of one Micheal Quinn and the other also was death certificate of Lloyd Quinn. When I received the email, I accessed the email from my office desktop computer then printed it from the office printer. Then I prepared the certificate of compliance with my name and signature.”
The judge thereafter adjourned the matter till July 10, 2024 for continuation of trial.
MICAD Project City Service Limited and Nolan are facing trial on 20-count charges bordering on obtaining by false pretence, non-compliance with Money Laundering Act and criminal conversion of proceeds of crime to the tune of N151,394,328.00(One Hundred and Fifty-One Million, Three Hundred and Ninety-Four Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty-Eight Naira).