Air Peace Limited, an airline from Nigeria, wants everyone to know that they believe the truth will come out soon. The United States is saying the airline’s big boss, Allen Onyema, didn’t tell the truth and tried to stop an investigation. They say he used fake papers to cover things up.
Air Peace talked about this on their Facebook page on Sunday, October 13, 2024.
The United States Attorney’s Office from Georgia said on Friday that “Allen Onyema, the leader of Air Peace, was charged again because they think he used fake documents to stop them from investigating him. This investigation was related to earlier charges about bank fraud and money laundering. Another person at Air Peace, Ejiroghene Eghagha, also faces charges for being part of this plan.”
What Air Peace Wants You to Know
The airline says that the new charges are just extra steps in a long process that started with old accusations. These old accusations are about money and go back many years.
They also say that even though more charges are now involved, Allen Onyema and Ejiroghene Eghagha are still innocent because the court has not made a final decision yet.
“Our lawyers are working hard on this, and we believe the truth will come out. We are sure that Allen Onyema and the other person will be cleared of these charges.”
“Allen Onyema and his team have always worked with the government to figure things out. Meanwhile, Air Peace is still flying, giving great service to our passengers.”
Air Peace wants people to know that this case won’t change their normal good flying services or how safe their planes are.
“Our workers are doing their best to make sure you have a good experience flying with us in Nigeria and other places,” the statement said.
The Story Behind This
In November 2019, the same U.S. Attorney’s Office said Allen Onyema had been accused of moving stolen money and lying about it. They said he made fake papers about buying airplanes and moved $20 million through U.S. banks. The other accused person, Ejiroghene Eghagha, was also charged for these actions and identity theft.
U.S. officials think Onyema used his airline and charity groups to move lots of money—over $44.9 million—from 2010 to 2018. Many papers used were not real, and they claim Onyema laundered over $16 million.
But Onyema says these claims are not true.