The former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has insisted that he did not break any Nigerian law setting up businesses in tax havens.
Obi, the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2019 general elections was reacting to media reports that he breached Nigerian laws by engaging in secret businesses set up in tax havens.
Vanguard reports that an online publication quoting Pandora Papers had listed Obi as one of those personalities who clandestinely set up and operated businesses overseas, including in notorious tax and secrecy havens in ways that breached Nigerian laws.
reacting to this yesterday, Obi said it was exhilarating that nowhere in the article was he accused of any form of corruption, whether in the form of diversion of public funds or in any other manner during and after his service as Anambra governor.
Following the report, Obi said the publication did not also allege that he had been engaged in unlawful business ventures at any time whatsoever, adding that his understanding was that the allegation bordered more on tax avoidance and non-declaration of some jointly owned assets.
He also wondered if thorough scrutiny and appreciation of all the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged transactions were made by the writers.
On the allegation that he violated the Nigerian Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, as well as sections of the 5th Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), by not declaring any alleged assets in Companies registered outside the Nigerian Federation, the report quoted Obi to say that the authors displayed ignorance on matters of Trust and International Investment Practices.
The former governor said he did not in any respect whatsoever violate any law before, during and after his stewardship as the Governor of Anambra.
He added that in all matters relating to his investments and declaration of his personal assets, wherever they may be found, he proceeded, pursuant to professional opinions and advice of investment experts both locally and internationally.
Obi said he also engaged and acted on solicited advice by reputable legal practitioners on whose opinion he relied, and urged all well-meaning persons to see through what he called “the hopeless sleight and ignore the publication”.
