By Uche Amunike
The office of the United States Attorney at the Central District of California, confirms that Ramon Abbas popularly called Hushpuppi will finally face judgement on February 14 2022.
According to BBC pidgin, Thom Mrozec, who is the court’s Director of Media Relations stated that Hushpuppi Ramon Abbas has been scheduled for judgement on Valentine’s Day.
In a plea agreement document cited by the press, Hushpuppi pleaded guilty to various offences concerning money laundering, internet scam, among other crimes.
Signatures in the document were that of Hushpuppi, his lawyer Louis Shapiro, Tracy Wilkison, Acting United States Attorney, among some others.
The documents stated that Hushpuppi Ramon Abbas risks 20 years imprisonment, a fine of $500,000, a three-year period of supervised release or twice the gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offence.
The court has also ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to arrest DCP Abba Kyari who was the Head of the Intelligence Response team, but now presently under suspension for his alleged role in a $1m scam allegedly perpetrated by Hushpuppi Ramon Abbas and five others.
In December 2021, however, Mrozec declined comments on the warrant of arrest issued by the court, that the FBI should apprehend Kyari and other defendants in the case, months ago.
He also admitted in an earlier interview with the Press on December 13, 2021 via email that the sentencing of Hushpuppi was still pending.
Recall that Hushpuppi Ramon Abbas was arrested by the Dubai Police in the United Arab Emirates alongside his gang in June 2020 and then later extradited to the US for prosecution by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Special agent of the FBI, Andrew Innocenti alleged that Hushpuppi Ramona Abbas contracted the services of Kyari after he was allegedly threatened by a co-conspirator, Chibuzo Vincent who vowed to expose the alleged $1m fraud committed against a Qatari businessman.
According to Innocenti, the voice calls and WhatsApp conversations between Kyari and Hushpuppi that he was able to get, showed that Hushpuppi paid Kyari N8m which amounted to $20,600 for the arrest and detention of Vincent.
On July 29 2021, Kyari went on Facebook to deny the allegations but eventually ended up deleting the posts of his denial after editing it for about 12 times.
Kyari was suspended on July 31 2021, according to the recommendation of the Inspector General of Police, who eventually constituted a Special Investigation Panel overseen by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigations Department, Joseph Egbunike, to probe the allegations.
On August 26 2021, Egbunike submitted the report of the panel which he described as an outcome of a painstaking, transparent and exhaustive investigative process.
He submitted that the content of the report included the case file of the probe, findings and evidence, as well as testimonies from Kyari and every other person and group linked to the case.
In an interview with the Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi on September 14 2021, he noted that the findings and recommendations on Kyari had since been submitted to the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), for legal opinion and afterwards for presentation to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, adding that a final decision will be taken by the PSC.
Months later however, the commission is yet to receive any disciplinary recommendations from the Inspector General of Police through the Force Disciplinary Committee, even 4 months after reports were filed by the Egbunike panel to the police boss.
Recommendations of the FDC will not only determine Kyari’s future in the Force, but also, inform the commission’s decision. The matter is however, presently inconclusive.
