CHARLESTOWN, Nevis - PREMIER Mark Brantley has debunked the allegation of a Nigerian fraudster, Ramon Olorunwa ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas, who said he had given a government official $50,000 to ensure he obtains a St. Kitts and Nevis passport through marriage.
Abbas was fingered in an international fraud ring that saw him, among other things, allegedly swindling US$1.1 million from a Qatari businessperson after he and his co-conspirators claimed to be consultants and bankers.
Speaking at his press conference in Nevis on Thursday (July 29), Premier Brantley shot down any suggestion of the bribe, describing it as “nonsense” while noting that there are “mischief makers” who are using a section of the plea agreement to say there is a scandal.
“Just this morning I was sent a copy of a plea deal...and a section of that was highlighted for me and said to me that this is what apparently some mischief makers are using to say is a big scandal.
“And so I read it...and when I looked at it you realise that there is really nothing to it. The paragraph that I read simply said that this Nigerian scammer in that plea deal, he said that he gave some $50,000 to a co-conspirator,” Brantley explained .
Following his arrest last year, Abbas was deemed to be the holder of a St. Kitts-Nevis passport, which was later confirmed by Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris.
“Ms. Chapman, a resident of North Carolina, USA, married Mr. Abbas in Nigeria in October 2018, thereby conferring him with the right to St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship,” Dr. Harris said.
Court documents unsealed by the United States Attorney’s Office showed that Abbas, a 37-year-old Nigerian national, pleaded guilty on April 20 to three counts and entered into a plea agreement.
Those counts are Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Engage in Money Laundering, and Aggravated Identity Theft.
The agreement, which was filed on Tuesday, last, provided a detailed description of how the Nigerian obtained St. Kitts and Nevis’ Citizenship, and what roles he and his co-conspirators played in cybercrimes that resulted in $24 million in losses.
According to court documents, Abbas allegedly conspired with Abdulrahman Imraan Juma, a.k.a. ‘Abdul,’ 28, of Kenya, and Kelly Chibuzo Vincent, 40, of Nigeria, to defraud the Qatari businessperson by claiming to be consultants and bankers who could facilitate a loan to finance construction of a planned school. Juma allegedly posed as a facilitator and consultant for the illusory bank loans, while Abbas played the role of ‘Malik’, a Wells Fargo banker in New York.
Vincent, in turn, allegedly provided support for the false narratives fed to the victim by, among other things, creating bogus documents and arranging for the creation of a fake bank website and phone banking line.
Abbas had bragged and boasted of his riches on social media, showcasing large sums of US dollars, jewellery, luxury vehicles and cell phones that were found in a location in which he was staying while in the United Arab Emirates.
He was arrested by police in the United Arab Emirates, and according to CNN reports, at the time of being apprehended the Instagram influencer had $41 million in cash, 13 luxury cars valued at around $6.8 million, among other valuables.
The Federal Government in Basseterre is yet to comment on this latest allegation to surface in court.
