Faceless Group Behind Campaign of Calumny- CMB Building
The
allegation(s) suggesting that CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Company
Limited, fraudulently mortgaged homes belonging to Pearl Nuga Park Estate and
Pearl Garden Estate situated at Sangotedo Village in Eti-Osa Local Government
Area of Lagos State, Nigeria, is nothing but false, malicious, and misleading.
CMB in a
statement issued through its lawyer Ifoma Ogoh, the company equally argued that the said allegation(s) are
pure campaign of calumny.
It would be
recalled that the homeowners of Pearl Nuga Park Estate and Pearl Garden Estate
had dragged CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Company Limited to the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, alleging fraudulent
mortgage of some of their homes to secure bank loans.
Ogoh,
responding on behalf of CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Company Limited
said, “We are solicitors to CMB Building Maintenance & Investment Co. Ltd.
(our Client) on whose behalf we write in respect of the twin malicious
advertorials placed in the Guardian Newspaper on
the 3rd of June, 2019
by a group of persons
falsely presenting as the management
of Pearl Gardens and
Pearl Nuga Park Estates respectively.
“Both
Estates were developed and are managed by our Client.
“The
advertorials were written by faceless groups stated to be ’The Management and
Trustees of the Pearl Gardens
Estate Homeowners Community
Association’’ and “Pearl Nuga Park Estate Homeowners and
Residents Association.
“Unsubstantiated
and reckless statements were made in these advertorials and demonstrate what is
patently a campaign of calumny by a minority who are resistant to the
structured and well ordered running of the estate.
“Their
mission is to oust our client from continuing to serve as facility managers
of the estates in question; a role that our client has played competently and
effectively from inception.
“They also
push their agenda by latching on to
anything that will drive their faulty
narrative.
“Reports
indicate that this group of individuals are already embroiled in scandal
involving embezzlement and misappropriation
of funds, indicative of the
character and conduct of those driving this smear campaign.
“Allegations
by this faceless group are false and unsubstantiated.
“It is
instructive that they had approached the courts of Law thrice and each time,
the cases were struck out.
“The
false allegations in the advertorials appear to be
an attempt to malign our client
in the court of public
opinion having constituted themselves prosecutor
and judge, in the absence of a case in the court of law.
“The false
and misleading nature of the advertorials is again evident of another issue -
the abuse of court
processes as well as the
sham and completely malicious execution of
a non-existent order.”
Ogoh further
stated that, “There is no possession order whatsoever on any of our client’s
properties; not on Pearl Nuga Park or any other estates built by our client
anywhere in Nigeria.
“Differences
arise from time to time
in the course of
business and our client’s customer-client
relationship with a bank has
no legal or lawful
bearing on any properties.”
While
maintaining that the company's clients have nothing to fear, the lawyer stated
that, “The court order referred to in the malicious missive was obtained
ex-parte by the bank, without our client’s knowledge or prior notice to our
client.
“As we have
discovered, despite the court’s refusal to
grant the request prayed by the bank,
they went ahead to carry out an illegal execution of a non-existent
order to cause confusion, intimidate residents of Pearl Nuga Park and embarrass
our client.
“Our
client has been in business
for seventeen years and
in that time, has developed
several residential estates across
Nigeria, some of which
are fully occupied with others in the process of
development.
“With close
to 3,000 clients and over 15 estates around Nigeria, six of which are occupied
by hundreds of residents and managed successfully without conflict, it is
clear that our Client
consistently provides quality service.
“This
is because the people who live in CMB built estates
are important to our client who places a high premium on their security, safety
and comfort.
“CMB
Building Maintenance and Investment
Co. Ltd. is committed to
efficient management of the estates
they take responsibility for
and works to establish competent
and effective facility management.
“As
with all services, there
are charges for ensuring that these continue to provide sustained value
to residents.
“This
is part of an integrated,
well-run framework to ensure
competent and professional facility management that benefits all
residents of all CMB-built estates.
“We are
gratified that majority of our client’s residents support order and structure
and like our client, believe in constructive dialogue.
“Our client
is a law abiding, responsible corporate citizen and member of the
society.
“We
restate that the allegations
in the advertorials are
false, malicious and misleading and we will be taking
appropriate steps to defend our client’s position and reputation built
painstakingly over 17 years.”
Meanwhile,
in the separate petitions dated May 28, 2019 and addressed to the Chairman of
the anti-graft agency, Ibrahim Magu, the executive members of both estates who
signed the petitions, alleged that the real estate firm and its Managing
Director, Kelechukwu Mbagwu, had engaged in criminal breach of
trust, unlawful enrichment and conversion of their properties.
The
petitioners insisted that CMB obtained what they termed a ‘mortgage’ from
Wema Bank Plc using the affected homes at Pearl Nuga Estate as collateral
without the knowledge or consent of the affected homeowners of the properties.
According to
them (the petitioners), "The affected homeowners had paid CMB for those
houses to be built and had taken possession of their houses from CMB at
different times.
"CMB
and Mbagwu fraudulently withheld the title deeds of the houses from the
affected homeowners as it withheld those of several other homeowners within the
estate."
The
petitioners had equally revealed that the bank had began what they termed a
recovery of the six houses within the estate through a law firm, Jirey &
Greys, consequent upon the failure of the property developer to repay the
loan.
In the same
vein, Pearl Garden Estate had equally pointed accusing fingers at CMB of
allegedly making use of four of their members who had already paid in full to
fraudulently obtain a N10 million loan from Diamond Bank (now Access Bank).
They
(petitioners) had posited that, “We have no other choice but to believe that
other houses of our members and homeowners within the estates may be the
subject of similar fraudulent mortgages .
"We ask
you to investigate this criminal and wanton fraud on our hardworking members
and their families.
"We
humbly request that you use your good office to thoroughly investigate this
fraudulent act, hold the CMB Building Maintenance and Investment Company
Limited and Mbagwu accountable for the fraud, and prevent the loss of the homes
of these rightful homeowners and other affected homeowners, which may not be
known at this time."
No comments