By Abraham Olatunbosun
A tourism company, which specialises in the promotion of tourism in Nigeria, Dreamworld Leisures Limited, has tasked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to look at its petition sent by the board over alleged stealing of funds and share manipulation scam by its sacked Managing Director, Mr. Jude Atoh and his wife, Dr. Ifeoma Atoh.
The organisation explained that it was expedient for the EfCC to probe further the activities of the former MD and his wife on their activities while at the helms of affairs at Dreamworld.
A statement issued by the Chairman of the The Board of Directors of the firm, Wale Mesioye, obtained by journalists, said the petition detailed weighty infractions against the management including alleged share manipulation, money laundering, sale of company assets without the knowledge of the board, among others.
Mesioye said the Board had, in the petition to EFCC in 2019, intimated the commission and raised the alleged infractions of the then managing director including forgery of several board resolutions, unapproved sales of landed property of the company, diversion and embezzlement of the proceeds from the previous sales of land belonging to the company.
Others, according to him, included suspected money laundering, diversion of company funds to accounts of companies owned by the former MD and his wife.
Other allegations included, “Concessioning of the company’s landed assets to a third party company in which the managing director owned majority shares without any full disclosure to the board.
“Unilaterally approving expenditures and projects without recourse to the board.
Frustration of efforts of the board to conduct thorough forensic audits of his stewardship.
“Manipulation of shareholding of the company aimed at takeover of the company by the managing director and family to the detriment of other directors.”
The statement said the EFCC failed to act on the earlier petition submitted to it by the board but instead quickly worked on the petition by the management.
Mesioye said, “The board consequently wrote a petition to EFCC, highlighting all the aforementioned infractions but unfortunately, the petition did not receive any diligent investigation and prosecution.
“Surprisingly, the managing director submitted a petition to EFCC in 2021 and such was given accelerated and diligent investigation.”
He, therefore, called on the EFCC to revisit the petition. “We the members of the board of Dreamworld humbly make the following demands: we call on EFCC to revisit the first petition by the board of the company, Dreamworld. We call on EFCC to abide by the extant laws, rules and regulations governing such investigations.
“We call on EFCC to discreetly investigate all sides to the matter and for all parties, including EFCC to desist from media trial of the board of directors, as such acts impede on board members reputation even when they are innocent”, he said.
