The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has handed over €5100 (Five Thousand, One Hundred Euros) proceeds of crime to the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency, Juan Ignacio Sell.
A statement by the Commission said its Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, handed over the asset on Friday, September 20, 2024.
TheFact Daily gathers that the sum was recovered from a Nigerian romance fraudster for Heinz Burchard Einhaus Uchtmann, a Spanish victim by the EFCC in collaboration with the Spanish Police.
While handing over the deed of release on behalf of the Nigerian government, the EFCC boss expressed appreciation to the Spanish counterpart for its support to Nigeria over the years, noting that the asset recovery and handover lent evidence to the cordial relationship and collaboration between both countries and their law enforcement agencies.
Olukoyede, while noting that the borderless nature of internet crimes has made collaboration and partnership among countries and law enforcement compelling, stated the resolve of the EFCC to make the country unconducive for the corrupt and the fraudulent.
“It has become very imperative for us to understand that financial crimes have become a borderless crime. Sometimes you will discover that they operate from a different country and get their victims in another country and the proceeds of crime go to a different country. On our part, we are resolute to ensure that Nigeria is not made a safe haven for financial criminals and corrupt people. We do it to cleanse our system in collaboration with our partners across the world. We are much more ready to continue to do that. In the interest of both countries we must do what we have to do. There must be mutual trust, mutual support for us to ensure that we cleanse the global financial ecosystem from being destroyed,” he said.
According to the EFCC boss, the resources criminals control across the world outstrip the wealth in the technology industry, adding that it is why it has become imperative for all governments across the world to come together much more than ever before to collaborate in order to sanitize the global financial ecosystem and ensure that the activities of these criminals do not thrive. “And that was what informed our determination in ensuring that anybody who perpetrates whatever is called romance scam or sextortion would not get away with it”, he said.
A happy Ambassador Sell in his response, lauded the collaboration between the EFCC and Spanish Police and pledged the commitment of the Spanish government to strengthen and take it higher.
Sell noted that international crimes call very clearly for stronger collaboration between agencies and between countries.
“Beyond the operational collaboration you have with our police, we will also look at other avenues of collaboration in training and exchange of information. We are more than willing and more than ready to increase that cooperation between the EFCC and its sister institutions in Spain. So let us congratulate ourselves for what we are witnessing today. I am happy for the victim. Romance scams are particularly heinous in the sense that they thrive on the goodwill and good heart of the victims”, Sell said.
Witnessing the event were top management staff of the EFCC and a delegation of Spanish Police Attache from the Spanish Embassy.
