Money Laundering: Osun PDP chairman gets seven days ultimatum to retract self, apologise to Aregbesola’s son

The Osun State Chairman of Peoples’ Democratic Party PDP, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, has been given seven days to retract and tender unreserved apology over his claim that one of the sons of Governor Rauf Aregebsola, Abdulkabir, was arrested for money laundering at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos during the week.

The solicitor to Abdulkabir, Mr. Ajibola Basiru, in a letter addressed to the PDP chairman, said that the retraction and apology must be done in at least two national dailies with wide circulation adding that failure to publish the said retraction with an apology within the said period, may leave his client no choice but to seek legal redress with its attendant consequences.

While stating that his client was never arrested at the MMIA for the offence of money laundering, Barrister Ajibola noted that Abdulkabir was nowhere near the airport neither was he arrested anywhere in the country at any time whatsoever.

“It may also interest you to know that our client has never been arrested anywhere in the country or outside the country for any offence since he was born. Our client is a young professional with a brilliant career. However, your orchestrated lie had reduced the image of our client in the estimation of every right thinking member of the public.

“It has also injured our client’s reputation and that of members of his families as you have portrayed him falsely as a money launderer”.

According to the letter, “our client informed us that he received numerous calls from families and friends directing him to check a news publication in two national dailies with captions: ‘Osun Govt, PDP bicker over alleged arrest of Aregbesola’s son for attempted money laundering’ and ‘Osun denies Kabiru Aregbesola’s alleged arrest’.

“In the said publications, you (Ganiyu Olaoluwa) issued a statement on behalf of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) emphatically stating that our client was arrested at the departure wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport with a lump sum of money that was not cleared but stocked in his luggage.

“Based on these false and wicked allegations you were urging the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) not to sweep the trumped up allegation under the carpet.

“Contrary to the above, our client, Mr. Abdulkabir Aregbesola, was nowhere near the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and he was not arrested at the airport or anywhere in the country at any time whatsoever.

“We therefore have our client’s instruction for a retraction of the said offensive statement with an apology within seven days of the receipt of this letter. The retraction with an apology must be done in at least two national newspapers which must be widely circulated.

“And failure to publish the retraction with an apology within the seven days as demanded will leave us with no alternative than to seek legal redress with its attendant consequences”.