The founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, has been indicted by the United States for alleged obstruction of justice in an ongoing investigation where he was accused of over $20 million bank fraud.
In a superseding indictment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia accused Onyema and Air Peace’s Chief of Administration and Finance, Ejiroghene Eghagha, of submitting false documents in a bid to thwart a federal investigation into their activities.
Both Onyema and Eghagha have been under scrutiny since 2019 for alleged money laundering. The Air Peace CEO is accused of moving over $20 million from Nigeria through U.S. bank accounts using fraudulent documents under the guise of purchasing airplanes.
Eghagha is also facing charges of aggravated identity theft in connection with the scheme.
U.S. Attorney in Atlanta, Georgia, Ryan Buchanan, issued a statement on Friday detailing the fresh charges.
According to Buchanan, the two defendants allegedly attempted to obstruct justice by committing additional fraudulent acts aimed at disrupting the investigation.
“Onyema, using his airline company as a cover, allegedly defrauded the U.S. banking system and later, along with his co-defendant, committed further crimes in a failed attempt to derail the government’s probe into his conduct.
“The diligence of our federal investigative partners exposed the defendants’ alleged obstruction scheme, ensuring that they can now be held accountable for their aggravated conduct,” he said.
The U.S. Attorney’s office revealed that from May 2016, Onyema and Eghagha allegedly employed a series of export letters of credit to cause banks to transfer over $20 million into Atlanta-based accounts controlled by Onyema.
These funds were purportedly for the purchase of five Boeing 737 passenger planes for Air Peace.
The documents presented to support these transactions, including purchase agreements, bills of sale, and appraisals, were allegedly fake.
Investigations uncovered that the planes were to be acquired from Springfield Aviation Company LLC, a Georgia-registered business owned by Onyema.
However, Springfield Aviation never owned the aircraft, and the company was managed by a person with no ties to the aviation industry.
Reacting to the development, Air Peace, in a statement on Sunday said, “We understand that this may have raised concerns, and we wish to address these report directly.
“These charges levelled against our post-holders are part of an extended legal process stemming from earlier accusations of financial misdeeds that date back several years,” the airline stated.
The statement noted that, while the charges had been expanded, it would be essential to emphasise that they were mere allegations and the case still in court.
“Our legal team is fully engaged with the matter and is working tirelessly to ensure that justice prevails.
“We remain confident that, through due process, the truth will be revealed and our CEO and co-defendant will be exonerated,” it added.
It said that Onyema and his legal team had consistently cooperated with authorities throughout the process.
It also said that Air Peace had continued to operate without disruption, upholding its commitment to effective services.
“We want to re-assure the public that these legal proceedings will not impact the safety, reliability or day-to-day operations of Air Peace,” it said.
