Nigerian politician indicted in U.S, U.K, may become governor

Andy Uba, a controversial Nigerian politician, indicted some years back for smuggling dollars to the U.S and pound to the UK, is just a step away from possibly becoming the next governor of Anambra State.

Mr Uba was subject of a U.S investigation into an advance fee fraud scheme, known as 419 in Nigeria, according to the U.S government.

In the UK where he was barred from entering, the authorities said the Nigerian politician was associated with “fraud and other criminal activities”, and that “his presence in the UK would not be conducive to the public good”.

Mr Uba is the candidate of one of the major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC), for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State, Nigeria’s South-east.

He had previously been sworn in as governor of the state in 2007, but his election was nullified by Nigeria’s Supreme Court on the grounds that Peter Obi, the man who was governor of the state at that time, was yet to finish his four-year tenure.

As an aide on domestic matters to President Olusegun Obasanjo, he was among the country’s most influential politicians at the time.

Indicted in the U.S.

Mr Uba, otherwise known as Emmanuel Uba, ran into trouble with the American government in 2003 for smuggling $170,000 into the U.S, using Nigeria’s presidential aircraft which flew into New York for a meeting of the United Nations.

He concealed the bulk cash, failed to declare it at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, and later handed it over to his girlfriend, contrary to the U.S law which he was familiar with as a regular traveller and as someone who had lived in the U.S before, according to court papers released by the American government.

The U.S. government seized the $170,000 after going through legal processes in which Mr Uba and his girlfriend, Loretta Mabinton, were represented by lawyers.

Ms Mabinton said the money was meant for Mr Uba’s “personal businesses” in the U.S.

The U.S government also seized a luxury car, a 2003 Mercedes Benz SL500, which Ms Mabinton purchased at $91,262.50 in the U.S and wanted to ship it to Nigeria for Mr Uba, whose address in Nigeria was listed in the court papers as 772 Ibrahim Taiwo Street, Asokoro, in Abuja.

Ms Mabinton, among her numerous financial transactions, also paid $45,487.28 to purchase farm equipment which were shipped to President Obasanjo’s farm, Obasanjo Farms Nig Ltd, in Nigeria.

Days before the Mercedes Benz SL500 was intercepted, Ms Mabinton made some deposits totalling $200,000 into a U.S bank, besides other numerous deposits classified by the U.S. government as “suspicious”.

Twenty-six thousand dollars ($26,000) was also seized from Ms Mabinton by the U.S. government.

Mr Uba brought the bulk cash into the U.S. in “a purple plastic bag”, according to an affidavit by a special agent with the U.S Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Guy Gino.

“The currency consisted of 1,600 new $100 FRN stamped with the phrase ‘AL GULAM’”, the agent said.

AL GULAM is a bureau de change operator in Abuja, checks by PREMIUM TIMES showed.

The arguments by Mr Uba’s girlfriend, that he had diplomatic immunity as an aide to the Nigerian president and also that the U.S. should turn their eyes away from the incident since the money was flown in a presidential aircraft, were rejected by the American government.

“Uba has no official diplomatic standing in the United States, and has no right to act in an official capacity for the government of Nigeria while in the United States.

“Even if the money had been transported into the United States via a diplomatic pouch, the money could only be used for official purposes of the government of Nigeria,” the U.S. law enforcement agent, Mr Gino said in his affidavit.

The U.S. also rejected Mr Uba’s claims that the seized money was from his personal savings and his family’s money. They said the Nigerian politician “failed to provide any documentation showing that the source of the $170,000 was legitimate”.