The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said arrest warrants for Air Peace chairman and CEO Allen Onyema, and the airline’s chief of administration and finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, are still in force.
Media reports in Nigerian had stated that the charges against Mr. Onyeama and Miss Eghagha have been dropped but according to a statement released by the US public affairs office the duo are still wanted and also the are facing additional allegations related to obstruction of justice.
The two executives are accused of submitting false documents to impede a federal investigation, leading to the 2019 indictment that includes 35 charges of bank fraud and money laundering.
“Despite these legal developments, several Nigerian media outlets falsely reported on October 22 that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia had cleared Onyema of any business fraud,” said the statement.
“The reports misrepresented old claims made by the law firm AO Alegho and Co., which had previously responded to the sentencing of U.S. citizen Ebony Mayfield, a former employee of Springfield Aviation, a U.S.-based company linked to Onyema.
“Mayfield was sentenced in 2022 to three years’ probation and fined $4,000 after pleading guilty to signing fake documents connected to a $20 million Air Peace transaction involving five Boeing 737 aircraft in 2016.
“While the media reports suggest that no bank losses were incurred, the U.S. legal process against Onyema and Eghagha is ongoing, with new charges complicating the case further.”
