Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are in the news again. The couple has recently been traveling through Nigeria, where they have been able to learn about the country’s traditional culture and where they have participated in different activities. In recent hours, the news has been that upon their arrival in the country, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were greeted by a fugitive who has been federally charged in the United States with allegedly orchestrating a 20-year bank fraud and money laundering scheme. millions of dollars. This is now revealed by the Daily Mail.
It was last week, specifically on May 12, when the couple arrived in Lagos. Air Peace CEO and President Dr Allen Onyema was a key member of the welcoming committee who met the Sussexes when they landed in the city, as part of their three-day tour of Nigeria. Founded by Onyema just over a decade ago, Air Peace flies around the world and is West Africa’s largest airline.
Dressed in navy blue, sunglasses and a red kufi hat, Onyema was part of a group of people who welcomed the couple. It included senior military and government officials, who were photographed alongside the Sussexes as they stepped off their Air Peace plane. However, now the Daily Mail reveals that the 59-year-old businessman is a man wanted by the authorities in the United States, where the couple resides happily with their two children.
Apparently, the man in question faces multiple charges related to alleged fraud worth millions of dollars established in a federal indictment filed in November 2019. The complaint, to which the aforementioned media has had access, accuses Onyema of “using his status as a prominent business leader and airline executive to launder more than $20 million from Nigeria through U.S. bank accounts.”
The charges were brought by former federal prosecutor Byung J ‘BJay’ Pak, who subsequently left office. The case is currently being handled by the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Ryan Buchanan, who took office in 2022. At the time, Pak claimed that “Onyema allegedly took advantage of his status as a prominent business leader and airline executive while using documents falsified to commit fraud.”
On the other hand, the Daily Mail also assures that “there is no suggestion that Harry or Meghan knew Onyema’s story before meeting him.” In addition, the aforementioned media has also learned that the couple had planned to use another airline for their trip, but the plans finally changed at the last minute.