Africa-Press – Liberia. The chairman of the opposition Liberty Party, Musa Bility, has said that he is not wanted by the Nigeria branch of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) as being suspected in the public.
Bility, who in 2019 was banned by the global football organization, FIFA, for 10 years and fined US$500,000 for being “guilty of having misappropriated FIFA funds,” noted if he was wanted by the Nigeria branch of Interpol — the National Central Bureau (NCB) — his name would be on a red alert and a wanted notice issued for him.
The SRIMEX Oil and Gas Company founder claimed that if such an alert was up, he would have been arrested on his recent trip outside of Liberia but that was not the case, which indicates that he had not committed any crime locally or internationally.
“When you are wanted by Interpol, you are wanted by Interpol. At least out of respect for myself, I am an international person so if Interpol wants me, the whole world will report it. There is absolutely nothing against me. It’s a bloody lie. It’s not true. Interpol, when they want people, they put it on their website. It would have been everywhere,” Bility told the Daily Observer in an exclusive interview. ”
“I was out of the country. I just came back to Liberia last week. And yet Interpol is looking for me. There is nothing to it. I want you to be assured that there is nothing to it. I have not committed any crime locally or internationally.”
Bilty’s remarks come as the Nigeria branch of Interpol had reportedly sent a communication to its counterpart at the Liberia National Police requesting his arrest and extradition for allegedly defrauding a Nigerian businessman.
The letter, which the Daily Observer is in the process of confirming, states that detectives from Nigeria would have arrived in Monrovia on July 5 for Bility after he had been arrested by the police. Whether the detective had arrived or not, the police however remained tight-lipped on the matter. Its spokesman Moses Carter would not deny or confirm whether such a letter came in.
“I cannot state right now if we have such a request on the table or not. If that is the case, we will inform the public,” Carter told the Daily Observer in a phone interview. “Assessment is being made and the public will be informed of any findings. The police have nothing to hide.”
In its letter, the NBC {the Nigeria Interpol brench} wrote that they were requesting their counterpart in Monrovia “to formally request for continuous assistance in respect of a red notice (Control No. A-5722/6-2017) of Musa Bility and to request his extradition for allegedly duping Nigeria.”
“The extradition process has been concluded through the diplomatic channel from our Ministry of Justice and Foreign Affairs to the Liberia Ministry of Justice..
“Given the foregoing, the bureau kindly requests your cooperation in the extradition of Musa Hassan Bility for prosecution and to inform you that detectives would arrive at the NCB Monrovia to take over the suspect in your custody on July 5.”
However, a search on the Interpol website, could not reveal a red notice alert for Bility out of the 7178 in circulation. Headquarters in France, Interpol’s operation focuses on serious cases, including fugitives wanted for crimes such as murder, child sexual abuse, people smuggling, fraud, corruption, drug trafficking, environmental crimes, and money laundering.
Meanwhile, the NBC that the letter was in follow-up to a 2017 request from the Nigeria Ministry of Justice, which was made pursuant to the United National Convention against transnational organized crime.
The 2017 letter, which was addressed to the Liberia Ministry of Justice alleged that Bility crooked a Nigerian national named Kunle Roberts, Managing Director of Drake Alliance Oil Trading FZE, who supply the latter company, Nexis Enterprise and Srimex Oil and Gas Company with gasoline but had refused to pay the outstanding balance of US $2.4 million for the products.
In March 2012, according to the communication, Roberts, and his company signed a contractual agreement with Bility and Nexis Enterprise for the sale of gasoline products, and between March 2012 and April 2012, two shipments of the products were valued at US$12 million.
“The first shipment was of 4,385,629 metric tons which arrived aboard the vessel ‘MT Althea’ and the second shipment with a quantity of 5,288.867 metric tons also arrived aboard the vessel ‘MT Liquid Fortune’ all of which were delivered to Nexis Enterprise Inc.
“The complainant alleged that after the delivery of the products to the suspect, the suspect has refused to pay the outstanding balance of US$2.4 million.
‘Interpol has no fish to fry
However, Bility has said that assuming that the Nigeria Interpol request is true, it has no “fish to fry in a private business. “
He argued that his business dealing with Roberts does relate to the type of crime Interpol handles as the police organization does not get involved in a commercial business arrangement.
Bility believes for Interpol to come after someone, they have to commit a crime against a state in one country and then run to another country – that’s when Interpol gets involved.
“Even so, business relationships have a statute of limitation. Interpol does get involved in a private commercial business. They are lying. Long matter short, in 2011 and 2012, we had a supply relationship with a Nigerian company; a fuel supply relationship. When the fuel came and there was a variance in price, we were paying them. How does that relate to a crime? He [Roberts] just called to tell me that there is nothing.”
The Liberty Party Chairman noted that the transaction between him and Roberts did not even happen in Nigeria so they cannot have jurisdiction over it. Bility added that since the business deal was struck right in Liberia if Robert had a problem, he should come to Liberia to resolve it and that cannot be done anywhere else.
“These people just play with people’s names and just walk away with it. The transaction did not even happen in Nigeria so Nigeria cannot take jurisdiction over it.
“The man and I transacted here in Liberia. So how does that become a Nigerian issue? If he has an issue with me he is supposed to come to Liberia for us to resolve it.”
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