CASE NUMBER 10884:

ALAMIEYESEIGHA: THE ESCAPE EXPERT

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Alleged Perpetrators(s)

Diepreye Solomon Peters Alamieyeseigha

Location (Town / State)

Yenogoa, Bayelsa

Date of Event

25 Jul 2007

Date of republication

25 July every year

Case category (Choose all that apply)

Case Summary

The ex-governor of Bayelsa state who pulled off a mysterious escape from London after being charged with money laundering to the tune of $3.2 Million could however not escape from the clutches of Nigerian jail.

Full story

The former Governor of Bayelsa State before his death had a very rich C.V that boasted awards including Best Governor on Security and the Golden Trophy for Good Governance. His achievements however include money laundering to the tune of $3.2 Million (1.15 Billion Naira), and an award in cross-dressing induced Escapology. During his tenure as governor, he spent a lot of money on extremely unnecessary projects such as a new government house at the cost of over 10 Billion Naira ($77 Million), an airport in his native town of Amassoma, and an Olympic-sized stadium in the state capital, Yenagoa.

Alamieyeseigha was the Governor of oil-rich Bayelsa State from 1999 till he was impeached in 2005. He was arrested and detained in London in September 2005 by the Metropolitan Police on charges of money laundering. The sum of about 1 Million Pounds in cash was found in his London home at the time of his arrest. The Metropolitan Police later discovered a total of £1.8m (840 Million Naira) in cash and bank accounts. In addition, it was also discovered that he owned four expensive luxury homes in London worth £10 Million (4.66 Billion Naira). He had allegedly paid £1,750,000 (820 Million Naira) cash for one of the houses in July 2003.

Alamieyeseigha was arraigned at the Bow Street Magistrate Court and stringent bail conditions imposed on him. He was finally granted bail on the condition that he remains in the United Kingdom, and his passport was seized. However, he managed to pull off his infamous feat of jumping bail by fleeing from the United Kingdom while disguised as a woman with a fake passport. He reappeared in Yenogoa, the capital of Bayelsa State on the 21st November, 2005 and described his escape from London as “a mystery”.

Upon his return to Nigeria, Alamieyeseigha was promptly served with a Notice of Impeachment by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly on 29th November, 2005 due to the loss of confidence and faith in the governor by Bayelsa citizens. Alamieyeseigha who was protected from prosecution by an immunity clause in Nigeria’s constitution which prevents serving governors from facing prosecution was finally impeached on the 9th December, 2005.

With his immunity stripped, Alamieyeseigha was arrested immediately after his impeachment on 9th December, 2005, and flown to Abuja for investigation. He was arraigned on the 23rd December, 2005 before Hon. Justice Mohammadu Shuaibu of the Federal High Court, Lagos on a-40 count charge of money laundering, illegal acquisition of property and false declaration of assets. The former governor, who was arraigned alongside seven corporate organizations believed to be owned by him pleaded not guilty to all the charges. He was refused bail continuously detained in EFCC custody for the duration of the trial given his bail-jumping antics.
On 25th July, 2007, he entered into a plea bargain agreement with the federal Government and pleaded guilty to six of the charges in return for a lighter sentence. He was convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment on each of the six charges. The sentences were to run concurrently.

However, given the fact that he had spent nearly two years in custody during the pendency of the trial, the period of the sentencing was counted from the point of his arrest nearly two years before the sentences, his actual sentence was relatively short. Many of his assets were ordered to be forfeited to the Bayelsa State Government. On 27th July, 2007, just hours after he was taken to prison, he was released due to the time he had already spent in detention.

United States of America prosecutors investigated a Massachusetts brokerage fund worth $401,931 and a $600,000 home in Rockville, Maryland which was alleged to be the proceeds of corruption and traceable to Alamieyeseigha. In June 2012, a US Federal district Judge granted an asset forfeiture order on the $401,931 in a Massachusetts brokerage fund which was traceable to Alamieyeseigha.

On the 12th Marc, 2013, Alamieyeseigha was granted a presidential pardon by President Goodluck Jonathan who was his deputy while he was the governor. This pardon was criticized by many Nigerians as an astute mockery of the fight against corruption.

Alamieyeseigha died of cardiac arrest on the 10th October, 2015 at the University of Port Harcourt teaching Hospital.

External links/URLs

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4462444.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4499962.stm
https://web.archive.org/web/20130314190727/http://www.punchng.com/news/outrage-over-presidential-pardon-for-vip-ex-convicts/
https://www.nytimes.com/2005/1

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