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Air Peace chairman, Allen Onyema, claims innocence over fraud accusations by US

THE management of Air Peace has dismissed the US government’s fresh indictment of its chairman and chief executive officer, Allen Onyema. 

Onyema was accused of obstructing justice in a case involving a wide-ranging bank fraud and money laundering investigation in the United States.

The airline’s chief of administration and finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, also faces charges in the US for her alleged involvement in the justice blockage, and previous bank fraud allegations.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia on October 8, 2024, stated that Onyema and Eghagha allegedly submitted false documents to obstruct a government investigation into their activities which previously led to charges of bank fraud and money laundering.

“After allegedly using his airline company as a cover to commit fraud on the United States banking system, Onyema, along with his co-defendant, allegedly committed additional crimes of fraud in a failed attempt to derail the government’s investigation of his conduct.

“The diligence of our federal investigative partners revealed the defendants’ alleged obstruction scheme, making it possible for the defendants to be held accountable for their aggravated conduct of attempting to impede a federal investigation,” he said.

Special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Atlanta Division, Robert J. Murphy further emphasised how the case showed the agency’s commitment to identifying and holding accountable those who engaged in fraud and money laundering.

The assistant special agent in charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Lisa Fontanette, added that despite Onyema and Eghagha using the U.S. banking system to hide their crime, the indictment shows the dedication of Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) to neutralise threats to the United States from criminal organisations.

In May 2016, Onyema and his accomplice, Eghagha, allegedly used several fake export letters of credit to transfer over $20 million into Onyema’s U.S accounts, pretending to use the funds to buy five separate Boeing 737 passenger planes for Air Peace.

This was supported by various documents including, purchase agreements, bills of sale, and appraisals to show that Air Peace was purchasing the aircraft from Springfield Aviation Company LLC, a business registered in Georgia.

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It was later discovered that Springfield Aviation Company LLC was owned by Onyema with no connection with the aviation business and the documents supporting the transactions were fake.

Upon realising that he was under investigation for fraud in Georgia in May 2019, Onyema and Eghagha allegedly planned to deceive the investigation and unfreeze bank accounts by submitting a backdated contract to the authorities.

They were then indicted in November 2019 on different charges including money laundering, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, credit application fraud and multiple counts of bank fraud.

The indictments followed Onyema’s alleged involvement in a money laundering scheme between 2010 and 2018, where he was said to have transferred over $44.9 million from foreign sources into his U.S. bank accounts.




     

     

    Responding, Air Peace management in a statement titled “Reassurance Regarding Recent US DOJ Report” stated that the charges levelled against their “post-holders” are part of an extended legal process stemming from earlier accusations of financial misconduct that date back several years.

    The statement also stated that Onyema and Eghagha were innocent because the case was still pending in court and their legal teams were working behind the scenes.

    “Our legal team is fully engaged with the matter and is working tirelessly to ensure that justice prevails. We remain confident that, through due process, the truth will be revealed and our CEO and co-defendant will be exonerated.

    “It is important to note that Dr. Onyema and his legal team have consistently cooperated with authorities throughout this process, and Air Peace continues to operate without disruption, upholding our commitment to delivering top-notch services to our valued customers,” the statement read in parts.

     

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