Pandora Papers: I have only $15 million in my offshore accounts – Peter Obi

A former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi has debunked reports that he has $500 million in his offshore account.

Making clarification on Monday during an interview on Arise TV, Obi said he has only $15 million. He maintained that he never violated any law.

This comes after his name became an item following the release of the Pandora Papers, a project carried out by a global International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

The project saw 600 journalists from 150 news organisations around the world poring through a trove of 11.9 million confidential files, contextualising information, tracking down sources and analysing public records and other documents.

The leaked files were retrieved from some offshore services firms around the world that set up shell companies and other offshore entities for clients, many of them influential politicians, businesspersons, and criminals seeking to conceal their financial dealings.

Obi was exposed in the report as one of the personalities who clandestinely set up and operated businesses overseas, including in notorious tax and secrecy havens in ways that breached Nigerian laws.

Reacting, he said: “Trust company is a legitimate vehicle used everywhere globally for investment, savings and estate planning purposes. In my particular case and that of my family, it was done on very valuable advice of our then bankers, Loyce TSB. This is what they did for all their international clients who operated at the time i lived in the UK. They will help you to see that the formulated trust company offshore and that is what we did.”

“This company was never used to launder money before, during and after till date. It wasn’t used for anything during my time in the office. It was strictly a trusted company for savings and family planning that was used to support our borrowings which we even invested in this country”.

When asked by one of the Programme anchors if he had $500 million in the account. Obi replied: “If you see more than 3% of that in there confiscate all my properties here and abroad”.

He continued: “As a father, I save for my children, I save for my family, and they know”.

“If you go there and find more than 3%, about 3% which is about $15 million if I bequeath my children $500 million, I have cursed them. There is money you bequeath People, you curse them. You bequeath them what is manageable so that they can start their life. If you see anything more than $15 million there, confiscate what I have overseas and here”.