Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige, has been accused of money laundering in connection with the funds deposited in the United States bank account that put his sister, Ozoemena Maryrose Nwadike, in trouble.

Ozoemena, who is based in the United States, was banned from law practice by the highest court of Maryland “for intentionally misappropriating funds held in a trust for clients.”

As previously reported by News Express, the money which Ngige used for his failed governorship bid in 2010 was traced to the tainted US bank account.

Speaking with News Express on the issue, a source said: “Ngige is guilty of money laundering but the court could not expressly say so because that was not the case before it – the suit had to do with professional misconduct by his sister but it is instructive that the court nevertheless indicted Ngige.”

According to the source, “Where did Ngige get the millions he lodged in Ozoemena’s US account with which he contested the governorship election 2010? This is Anambra State’s money which he illegally made during his illegal occupation of the Government House from May 29, 2003 to March 17, 2006 before he was removed by the Supreme Court.”

Commenting on the issue, Africans In America, Inc., a leading human rights organisation addressing social issues concerning the larger African immigrant community in the United States, referred to Ngige as one of the “people that stole-silly Nigerian money.” The group while berating Ngige’s associates for launching a campaign of calumny against it on account of its reports on Ozoemena’s disbarment said on its website www.AfricansInAmericaInc.org:

“Shall we allow the same people that stole-silly Nigerian money to continue to harass, attempt to intimidate us in US, just as they do in Nigeria?

“Let the people of good-will speak-up against lots of crimes of satanic and wicked fellows taking place on Nigerian online forums and against fellow Nigerians in US.

“We at AIA say ‘tufiakwa’ and will resist this carry-over of Nigerian-style oppression into the United States.”

Ngige, currently a Senator, placed a distant second with 60,240 votes against the 97,843 votes scored by Mr. Peter Obi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the February 6, 2010 governorship election. He is warming up to take another shot at the coveted seat later this year on the platform of the emergent All Progressives Congress (APC).

•Photo shows Senator Ngige.