Pastor Chris Oyakhilome in a $35 Million Money Laundering Scam

Chris Oyakhilome
Any moment from now, flamboyant miracle fixing pastor of Christ Embassy Church located in Oregun, Ikeja area of Lagos state, Chris Oyakhilome will be a guest of Nigeria's anti-graft police, EFCC for using his church to launder funds which source could not be accounted for into foreign bank accounts. The illicit funds so far traced by security agents stand at over $35 million.

The latest scandal may once again bring the controversial miracle-worker pastor under public scrutiny after government suspended the broadcast of his suspicious healing programme tagged “atmosphere for miracles” on public television stations some years ago.

iReports-ng can authoritatively report that a document on the money laundering activities of the architect turned pastor was first passed to the Nigeria police force headquarters in Abuja, last year. After finding it difficult to unravel the fraud, the police forwarded the matter to the EFCC which has the expertise and powers to successfully prosecute the pastor.

According to a source at the force headquarters in Abuja, the case was sent to the EFCC and received there September 24th 2009. Another source in the EFCC also confirmed that attempts were made by some of the controversial pastor's agents in the commission to “kill” the petition due to the electronic system of monitoring cases already put in place in the agency, called “gocase” by the United Nations Office On Drug and Crime, UNODC.

A reliable source in the agency told iReports-ng a few hours ago that ” after the initial hiccup, substantial progress has now been made on the case even though quietly and the coast now clear to invite the pastor to make some statements on his involvement in cash transfer of such huge amount of United States currency”

Apart from this discovery of money laundering activity by the pastor, a couple of his church officials and members have also of recent featured in some major fraud issues. Not quite long a time, one of his pastors in Ogba area of Lagos was said to have stolen some millions of naira from the sheraton hotels ikeja where he worked as a manager before he was sacked when the fraud was discovered. He claimed in his statement to the police then that he donated the stolen money to Oyakhilome's Christ embassy church to buy power generating sets and other church needs.

 
Also of recent, a young member of the church in Benin city, Edo state was arrested and prosecuted by the EFCC for engaging in internet marriage scam through which he defrauded a white lady. In his statement before he was convicted, he was said to have also confessed that he donated the bulk of the scam money to Oyakhilome's church where he belongs as a strong member.

Before the discovery of the pastor's money laundering activity, Oyakhilome had been enmeshed in other major scandals such as immoral sexual engagements with church members, fighting other religious leaders, use of diabolic powers and faking miracles.

In 2008, south africa media were awash with stories of fake miracles stage managed by the pastor in a bid to woo worshipers to join his church.

 


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