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CNN Live At Daybreak
E-mail Scam Resulted in Failure of Brazilian Bank, Nigerians on Trial for Crime
Aired February 13, 2004 - 05:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: And corrupting the corruptors, five people are on trial for a scam that ran into the hundreds of millions of dollars. It even put a bank out of business.
Our Jeff Koinange picks up that story for us in Lagos, Nigeria.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four men and a woman on trial for what Nigeria called "advanced fee fraud." Locals call it 419 after the penal code it falls under.
CHRIS UCHE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This is going to be a test case of how seriously Nigeria is actually prosecuting this war against this scandal.
KOINANGE: Investigators say this group posed as businessmen in Brazil and convinced officials there to transfer over $242 million to a network of foreign accounts in exchange for promises of huge kickbacks on a contract to build a new international airport in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The contract never happened. The money vanished. And Brazil's Noroeste went under.
EMMANUEL AKOMAYE, ECONOMIC CRIMES COMMISSION: So we assured the world that by the prosecution of this type of crime, this type of heinous crime, Nigeria is not going to welcome any investment that is tainted with criminal process.
KOINANGE: Nigeria is so associated with this type of rip-off, the government set up a special agency to fight these crimes. Billboards and posters are everywhere, warning would be rip-off artists the penalties they face if found guilty.
AKOMAYE: We are not happy to be associated with 419. The government is not happy. The majority of Nigerians are not happy and we are determined to put a stop to it.
KOINANGE: But the accused in this case say they are innocent, scapegoats for the government's war against fraud.
UCHE: We want the government not just to use this case as a window dressing for propaganda purposes. We want them to come up with facts to show they are genuinely concerned and determination to root out these cases of bad 419.
KOINANGE: The verdict in this case could take months and observers say the longer it drags on, the greater the chances of being swept under the rug.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOINANGE: Now, Catherine, authorities here in Nigeria say they have their hands full dealing with, among other things, armed robbers and carjackers on a daily basis. They admit that taking on 419ers is proving an uphill battle and the only advice they can offer would be victims is that if in doubt, apply the basic rule of thumb. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Good advice.
Now, Jeff, will the Nigerian government use this as a test case to fight corruption there?
KOINANGE: You know what, Catherine? Nigeria's so associated with these e-mail scams, and this is the biggest e-mail scam in history. They want to use it as an example so that they could set an example to future would be scammers that the buck stops right here. Everyone will be prosecuted who is found of dealing with these kinds of crimes.
So, yes, they want to use it as a test case -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: All right, Jeff, thank you for that report.
That's Jeff Koinange in Nigeria.
Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Nigerians on Trial for Crime>
Aired February 13, 2004 - 05:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: And corrupting the corruptors, five people are on trial for a scam that ran into the hundreds of millions of dollars. It even put a bank out of business.
Our Jeff Koinange picks up that story for us in Lagos, Nigeria.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four men and a woman on trial for what Nigeria called "advanced fee fraud." Locals call it 419 after the penal code it falls under.
CHRIS UCHE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This is going to be a test case of how seriously Nigeria is actually prosecuting this war against this scandal.
KOINANGE: Investigators say this group posed as businessmen in Brazil and convinced officials there to transfer over $242 million to a network of foreign accounts in exchange for promises of huge kickbacks on a contract to build a new international airport in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. The contract never happened. The money vanished. And Brazil's Noroeste went under.
EMMANUEL AKOMAYE, ECONOMIC CRIMES COMMISSION: So we assured the world that by the prosecution of this type of crime, this type of heinous crime, Nigeria is not going to welcome any investment that is tainted with criminal process.
KOINANGE: Nigeria is so associated with this type of rip-off, the government set up a special agency to fight these crimes. Billboards and posters are everywhere, warning would be rip-off artists the penalties they face if found guilty.
AKOMAYE: We are not happy to be associated with 419. The government is not happy. The majority of Nigerians are not happy and we are determined to put a stop to it.
KOINANGE: But the accused in this case say they are innocent, scapegoats for the government's war against fraud.
UCHE: We want the government not just to use this case as a window dressing for propaganda purposes. We want them to come up with facts to show they are genuinely concerned and determination to root out these cases of bad 419.
KOINANGE: The verdict in this case could take months and observers say the longer it drags on, the greater the chances of being swept under the rug.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOINANGE: Now, Catherine, authorities here in Nigeria say they have their hands full dealing with, among other things, armed robbers and carjackers on a daily basis. They admit that taking on 419ers is proving an uphill battle and the only advice they can offer would be victims is that if in doubt, apply the basic rule of thumb. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Good advice.
Now, Jeff, will the Nigerian government use this as a test case to fight corruption there?
KOINANGE: You know what, Catherine? Nigeria's so associated with these e-mail scams, and this is the biggest e-mail scam in history. They want to use it as an example so that they could set an example to future would be scammers that the buck stops right here. Everyone will be prosecuted who is found of dealing with these kinds of crimes.
So, yes, they want to use it as a test case -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: All right, Jeff, thank you for that report.
That's Jeff Koinange in Nigeria.
Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Nigerians on Trial for Crime>
