By Abiola Olawale
A federal district court located in Northern Georgia, in Atlanta, United States, has formally reissued an arrest warrant for the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace Limited, Allen Onyema, threatening the later with arrest if he enters the United States.
The warrant is linked to an alleged bank fraud case involving a total sum of $20 million that has been under investigation for the past five years.
The court in October 2024 decided to renew the arrest warrant, a move that reporters arose in response to new developments in the case, which included the introduction of new charges against Onyema.
According to the latest developments, Airpeace CEO is equally joined in this legal quandary by his co-defendant, Ejiroghene Eghagha, who holds the position of Chief of Administration and Finance at the airline.
The new charges, filed as part of a superseding indictment on October 8, 2024, include obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
These charges were added to the original 36 counts of conspiracy, money laundering, bank fraud, credit application fraud, and identity theft, bringing the total to 38 counts.
The New Diplomat, in a report in 2019, had reported that Onyema and Ejiroghene Eghagha, the airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance, were both charged before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia over allegations of bank fraud and money laundering.
In the fresh charge sheet sighted by the New Diplomat, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia declared that Onyema has been charged with allegations of obstructing justice.
The fresh charge sheet stated that following the initial alleged bank fraud and money laundering charges, Onyema and Eghagha allegedly attempted to obstruct the said investigations by directing an individual managing Springfield Aviation to sign a backdated contract.
Onyema’s attorneys were said to have submitted the alleged backdated contract to U.S. authorities to halt the investigation and de-freeze his bank accounts, which led to additional charges of obstruction of justice.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan stated that Onyema allegedly used his airline as a front for fraudulent deals and later attempted to derail the ongoing investigation. He highlighted that federal investigators’ diligence helped unveiled the obstruction scheme, holding the defendants accountable.
However, Onyema and the legal team representing Air Peace have consistently affirmed his innocence regarding the allegations made against him.
In an official statement to this effect, Air Peace has consistently maintained that these claims are inaccurate, unverified and that the case remains pending in court, and that the subjects are innocent until proven guilty.
