Nigerian Embassy, Washington DC enmeshed in oily wire transfer scandal

Fresh facts emerged on Tuesday on how the United States government forced two of the country’s leading banks to close the accounts of the Nigerian Embassy in Washington DC and the Nigerian Mission in New York over alleged shady money transfer.

Although Nigerian Ambassador to the US Ambassador Adefuye had blatantly denied in a text message to the African Examiner that the Embassy and the Mission maintained no accounts with the two banks namely Bank of America and Wells Fargo, respectively.

Impeccable sources informed us that the accounts actually existed prior to the directive of the United States government to the two banks to close the accounts including two African countries over alleged shady transfers into the country.

Undisclosed sums of money in the accounts were returned to the Embassy by the banks. The checks (cheques) were delivered to the embassy yesterday, according to our source.

Arising from these questionable transfers often linked with the Nigerian Embasy, US banks are said to be reluctant in opening new accounts for the Embassy. One option that the embassy is considering is to use accounts of the Atlanta consulate in order to receive money for its operationsMeanwhile the Embassy is yet to pay staff salaries, a development which has flamed passions in both the Embassy and the Mission as the staffs are now becoming restive.Trouble began for the Nigerian Embassy in Washington DC under Amb. Adefuye 

when US government allegedly asked the Bank of America and Wells Fargo, two leading financial institutions in the  United States of America to shut down the embassy accounts over alleged fraudulent money transfers from Nigeria.African Examiner gathered that these monies are allegedly wired into the embassy’s accounts by some state governors and other government functionaries, and when they arrive in the US, the embassy would make the money available to them Consequently these sanctions had adversely impacted on the finances of the 

Mission which has made it extremely difficult for the Embassy to meet its operational bills.

May 16, 2012