'Unexplained Wealth': Report claims Saraki owns £15m London mansions

macfranc007 February 04, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Tunde Ososanya

- Senate president, Bukola Saraki, has been indicted in a report that claims he owns two houses in London that are worth £15 million

- The houses are said to be located at 7 and 8 Whittaker street, Belgravia, London

- Unexplained Wealth, a new investigative power designed to help law enforcement agencies act on corrupt assets, conducted the report

Nigeria's Senate president, Bukola Saraki, has been listed as one of the five owners of “unexplained wealth” in London.

According to Transparency International, the report was conducted by Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs), a new investigative power designed to help law enforcement agencies act on corrupt assets, The Cable reports.

NAIJ.com gathered that two buildings located at 7 and 8 Whittaker street, Belgravia, London, are allegedly owned by Saraki. It was learnt that the houses are worth £15 million.

The report said that the said addresses are owned by Landfield International Developments Limited and Renocon Property Development Limited which are reportedly managed by Toyin Saraki, wife of the senate president and one of Saraki’s personal aides.

UWOs said: “The report is particularly useful where there is no realistic prospect of cooperation or conviction in the country of origin, but there are sufficient grounds for suspicion that an asset has been acquired with the proceeds of corruption."

In November 2017, the Senate president was named among over 120 politicians and leaders in nearly 50 countries who have reportedly been utilising shell companies in tax haven to either conceal assets, evade tax, or launder funds.

Eighteen months earlier, a similar investigation exposed his ownership of at least three secret offshore firms which he allegedly used in concealing assets abroad.

However, Saraki has denied both allegations, saying he is rich because he comes from a wealthy family.

Igor Shuvalov, Russian first deputy prime minister, Ahmed Mahmoud Azwai, former Libyan major-general, Nawaz Sharif, former prime minister of Pakistan, and First family of Azerbaijan, were also indicted in the report.

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Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the Senate Senate president, Bukola Saraki, reacted to the confession of one Abdulrasheed Maigari, a kidnap king pin who confessed to stealing N310 million from his house.

The suspect who was in police custody had confessed that an army captain who was on the security detail of the Senate president had ordered the robbery, but Saraki through his media aide denied that any money was stolen from him.

In a statement by his chief press secretary, Sanni Onogu, Saraki said that the report was malicious and that no military personnel was part of his security detail.

The EFCC stage a walk against corruption - on NAIJ.com TV