EFCC hands over €5,100 recovered from fraudsters to Spanish envoy

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over proceeds of crime worth €5,100 to the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Juan Sell.

EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the development in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

In his remarks at the event, EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, said the amount was recovered from a Nigerian fraudster for a Spanish love victim, Heinz Burchard Einhaus Uchtmann.

Olukoyede, who presented the deed of release on behalf of the Federal Government, thanked the Spanish government for its support to Nigeria over the years.

He noted that the recovery and handover of assets demonstrated the good relations and collaboration between the two countries and their law enforcement agencies.

“I want to thank you for all the support over the years on behalf of your country that you have given Nigeria.

“And also find Nigeria a conducive place to carry out your diplomatic work and encourage investors from Spain to come to Nigeria and invest.

“As a law enforcement agency, today’s event is a testament to the cooperation between Nigeria and Spain and also between law enforcement agencies in Nigeria and Spain,” the EFCC chief said.

He noted that the borderless nature of internet crime has made collaboration and partnerships between countries and law enforcement attractive.

He stated the commission’s determination to make the country unconducive to corruptors and fraudsters.

“It is important for us to understand that financial crime has become a borderless crime.

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“Sometimes you will find that they operate from another country and get their victims in another country and the proceeds of their crimes go to another country.

“In our journey, we are determined to ensure that Nigeria is not made a safe haven for financial criminals and corrupt individuals. We do this by cleaning up our system in collaboration with our partners around the world.

“We are much more prepared to continue to do that. In the interests of both countries, we have to do what we have to do.

“There must be mutual trust and support for us to ensure that we clean up the global financial ecosystem from the destruction,” Olukoyede added.

In his response, the Spanish envoy expressed his happiness at the cooperation between the EFCC and his country’s police.

He pledged the Spanish government’s commitment to strengthening collaboration and taking it to a higher level.

“A lot of times you work on a process and you never see the end result of your efforts, but what makes this special is the fact that we have seen the results of a collaborative effort by two countries that are friends for the benefit of their citizens.

“This is certainly a joyous moment for all of us; those involved in the investigation and those who oversaw and made it happen,” Sell added.

EFCC hands over €5,100 recovered from scammers to Spanish envoy first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.