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The embattled Nigerian socialite, Ramon Abass, popuparly known as Hushpuppi, has alleged that he bribed Abba Kyari, a deputy commissioner of police (DCP) who works in the Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team(IGP-IRT), to arrest a co-fraudster, according to United States (US)court documents.
The Instagram celebrity, who is known for his luxury lifestyle, was arrested in the United Arab Emirates(UAE) in June 2020, alongside 11 of his associates, over allegations of hacking, impersonation, scamming, banking fraud, and identity theft.
He was extradited to the U.S., following his detailed arrest by the UAE police in a special operation named ‘Fox Hunt 2’, where he was accused of defrauding 1.9 million victims to the tune of N168 billion.
Hushpuppi was subsequently arraigned and detained at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago ahead of his trial.
Hushpuppi, recently pleaded guilty to the money laundering charges against him, thus risking 20 years imprisonment.
But in a latest development, US court officials said during interrogation, Hushpuppi disclosed that he bribed Kyari to arrest and jail one of his accomplice in Nigeria, after a dispute over a $1.1 million scam proceed.
According to a statement by the US department of justice, Hushpuppi asked Kyari to jail Kelly Chibuzor Vincent, his accomplice, after both were locked in a dispute over how to share the $1.1 million loot received from a Qatari business man.
In the filings by the officials, Vincent was said to have contacted the victim and informed him that he was being scammed by Hushpuppi’s syndicate.
This enraged Hushpuppi, who was said to have contacted Kyari to arrest and jail Vincent.
Hushpuppi was also quoted to have said that Kyari allegedly sent photos of Vincent in jail and followed this up with a bank account number where a wire transfer should be made for the successful arrest and detention of his co-fraudster.
“Court documents outline a dispute among members of the conspiracy, which allegedly prompted Vincent to contact the victim and claim that Abbas and Juma were engaged in fraud. After this contact, Abbas allegedly arranged to have Vincent jailed in Nigeria by Abba Alhaji Kyari, 46, of Nigeria.
“According to the affidavit, Kyari is a highly decorated deputy commissioner of the Nigeria Police Force who is alleged to have arranged for Vincent to be arrested and jailed at Abbas’ behest, and then sent Abbas photographs of Vincent after his arrest. Kyari also allegedly sent Abbas bank account details for an account into which Abbas could deposit payment for Vincent’s arrest and imprisonment.”
Kristi K. Johnson, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said: “Mr. Abbas, among the high-profile money launderers in the world, admitted to his significant role in global BEC fraud, a scheme plaguing Americans.
“His celebrity status and ability to make connections seeped into legitimate organizations and led to several spin-off schemes in the U.S. and abroad.
“Today’s announcement deals a crucial blow to this international network and hopefully serves as a warning to potential victims targeted with this type of theft.”