The controversy surrounding the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, does not appear to be going away any time soon, as new documents recently unearthed indicate that the $460K he forfeited was linked to criminal activities in the United States.
The document shared by US Justice Department sources are the relevant US codes governing forfeiture quoted in the Court ruling and papers of the 1993 Drug Trafficking case, which mentioned Tinubu and traced proceeds of that crime to his accounts.
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On Page one of the Verified Complaint for Forfeiture brought against the accounts of the former Lagos State Governor, it was stated that “this is a Forfeiture action under 21 U.S.C. 881 and 18 U.S.C 981.”
Those are the legal codification of US laws hence it is abbreviated as U.S.C.
For example, Quest Times confirmed that 21 U.S.C. 881 stated that money to be forfeited would have been previously linked to a criminal activity such as narcotics or money laundering.
According to the document “All real property, including any right, title, and interest (including any leasehold interest) in the whole of any lot or tract of land and any appurtenances or improvements, which is used, or intended to be used, in any manner or part, to commit, or to facilitate the commission of, a violation of this subchapter punishable by more than one year’s imprisonment.”
The document stated explicitly that items to be subject to forfeiture to the United States government includes proceeds from drug trade, property intended for the use of illicit trades, narcotics, and any other illegally acquired assets.
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This U.S.C reveals the intent of the forfeiture process and give the lie to claims the forfeiture was for taxes.
While the action came through civil proceedings, the relevant U.S.C shows the APC candidate may have been involved in some forms of organised criminal activities which led the US government to take action against him by forfeiting the 460 thousand dollars.
Tinubu’s spokespersons have maintained that his money forfeiture had nothing to do with criminal activities, which led to speculations as to why he was asked to and why he willingly agreed to forfeit funds in his accounts in the first instance.