Senator Neda Bernards Imasuen, representing Edo South, who reportedly masterminded a large bank fraud in the United States before returning to Nigeria for a successful political career, has announced his intention to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on June 12.
Imasuen, who chairs the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, revealed his political move in Benin City on Sunday, marking his second year in office.
He stated, “I will be leaving the Labour Party to the APC as the current disarray in the LP will not help me achieve my aim for my people.”
Read Also: Ndume Rejects Tinubu’s 2027 Endorsement With Strong Reason
The lawmaker explained that his defection aims to align Edo South with the Tinubu-led federal government to bring development to his constituents.
His defection on June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day, will make him the latest in a series of opposition politicians to switch to the ruling party.
This move follows a report by Peoples Gazette which detailed Imasuen’s controversial past in New York before he entered Nigerian politics.
U.S. court filings indicate that the senator was disbarred for life in New York for taking money from a client without providing representation and ignoring subpoenas from disciplinary panels.
Furthermore, Imasuen was named in a criminal court case as the facilitator of a widespread fraud scheme that swindled over $25 million from numerous U.S. financial institutions.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) stated that Imasuen was the lawyer “who arranged the transactions underlying the substantive bank fraud charges in the indictment,” according to a review of a case involving his co-conspirator, Imran Ismile Badoolah.
A federal grand jury indictment from December 14, 2012, indicated that the fraudulent mortgage loans facilitated by Imasuen and his co-conspirators exceeded $25 million.
Prosecutors revealed that their scheme targeted at least 33 banks, including prominent names like ABN Amro, Citibank, HSBC, Wells Fargo, and Lehman Brothers.
The fraud involved financially inducing individuals with good credit scores to act as straw buyers to secure loans, an act that violated federal law and was intended to defraud the lending financial institutions.
Join Informant Online WhatsApp Channel With Link Below: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2
