N20bn: Tinubu, Alpha Beta former MD, Dapo Apara settle out-of-court

Bola Tinubu and Dapo Apara former Alpha Beta MD, settling out of court in the N20bn scandal, ENigeria Newspaper reports.

Following allegations that Tinubu ordered the transfer of over N20 billion from Alpha Beta Consulting to some private business accounts, READ MORE HERE – Dapo Apara, the All Progressives Congress leader Bola Tinubu, and the current Managing Director of the company, Akin Doherty, have begun discussions on a possible out-of-court settlement.

Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), the plaintiff’s lawyer, stated this before the Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square on Tuesday.

During the hearing, Adegboruwa informed the court that the court bailiff had followed the order issued on November 2, 2021, for substituted service of all court processes on Tinubu.

Adegboruwa added that the bailiff served Tinubu at his No. 26 Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi, address by DHL courier service on November 24, 2021, and that the bailiff had filed an affidavit of service to confirm this position.
The court looked through its records and confirmed the position as stated by the lawyer.

Punch reports that Adegboruwa also informed the court that the parties and their counsel had met on several occasions with a view to resolving all the issues in controversy amicably and to this end, proposed terms of settlement had been exchanged, which might have explained the absence of the defendants and their counsel in court.

The senior advocate then urged the court to grant more time for the parties to consolidate on their settlement talks.

Justice Aishat Opesanwo subsequently adjourned the case till March 24, 2022.

It will be recalled that Apara filed the suit early last year seeking to hold the defendants accountable for financial transactions in Alpha Beta.

In the suit filed by Adegboruwa on behalf of Apara, the former MD said Tinubu controls Alpha Beta, a tax consulting firm that has exclusive rights to monitor and generate revenue on behalf of the Lagos State Government.

ENigeria Newspaper reports that Apara, who had in 2018 written a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission accusing Alpha Beta of N100bn tax fraud, asked the court to compel the firm to pay him his entitlements even as he alleged that Tinubu was the one that got him removed from his position for investigating the firm’s finances.