Thursday- 29th July, 2021: Nigerian socialite, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, aka Hushpuppi according to US court documents, alleged that he bribed a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari, to arrest a co-fraudster, Chibuzor Vincent
Recall that the Instagram celebrity, who is known for his luxury life, was arrested in Dubai in June 2020 alongside 11 of his associates on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.
The UAE police detailed his arrest in a special operation dubbed ‘Fox Hunt 2’ where he was accused of defrauding 1.9 million victims amounting to the sum of N168 billion. Following this, was his extradition to the U.S.
Hushpuppi was arraigned and detained at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago ahead of his trial.
He pleaded guilty to the money laundering charges against him, risking 20 years imprisonment.
According to the US court officials, in the course of interrogation, Hushpuppi revealed that he bribed Kyari to arrest and jail one of his rivals in Nigeria after a dispute over a $1.1 million scam on Qatari businesspeople.
In a statement by the US department of justice, Hushpuppi asked Kyari to jail Kelly Chibuzor Vincent, his colleague, after both were locked in a dispute over how to share the $1.1 million loot received from the Qatari businesspeople.
According to the officials, Vincent contacted the victim and informed him that he was being scammed by Hushpuppi’s syndicate.
As stated in the documents, the enraged Hushpuppi then contacted Kyari to arrest and jail him.
Quoting Hushpuppi, Kyari allegedly sent photos of Vincent in jail and followed this up with a bank account number to which a wire transfer should be made for the successful arrest and detention of his co-fraudster.
The statement read: “Court documents outline a dispute among members of the conspiracy, which allegedly prompted Vincent to contact the victim and claim that Abbas and Juma were engaged in fraud. After this contact, Abbas allegedly arranged to have Vincent jailed in Nigeria by Abba Alhaji Kyari, 46, of Nigeria.
“According to the affidavit, Kyari is a highly decorated deputy commissioner of the Nigeria Police Force who is alleged to have arranged for Vincent to be arrested and jailed at Abbas’ behest, and then sent Abbas photographs of Vincent after his arrest. Kyari also allegedly sent Abbas bank account details for an account into which Abbas could deposit payment for Vincent’s arrest and imprisonment.”
Assistant Director of the FBI, Los Angeles field office, Kristi K. Johnson, said: “Mr. Abbas, among the high-profile money launderers in the world, admitted to his significant role in global BEC fraud, a scheme plaguing Americans.
“His celebrity status and ability to make connections seeped into legitimate organizations and led to several spin-off schemes in the U.S. and abroad.
“Today’s announcement deals a crucial blow to this international network and hopefully serves as a warning to potential victims targeted with this type of theft.”
As at the time of this report, Kyari had yet to react to the claims against him by the embattled socialite.
