The United States has escalated its legal case against Allen Onyema, CEO of Nigeria’s Air Peace, by filing additional charges of obstruction of justice.
Onyema, alongside Ejiroghene Eghagha, the airline’s Chief of Administration and Finance, is now accused of submitting falsified documents in an attempt to hinder an ongoing investigation into previous fraud allegations.
According to the recent indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Georgia, the two executives allegedly tried to disrupt the probe into their suspected involvement in a bank fraud scheme.
Onyema is accused of using fraudulent export letters of credit to move over $20 million into his U.S. accounts under the pretext of buying aircraft.
However, the transactions reportedly involved a company with no legitimate aviation ties, raising further suspicion.
The original charges, dating back to 2019, include conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering. The new charges, filed in October 2024, include obstruction of justice and conspiracy.
Despite these allegations, Onyema and Eghagha maintain their innocence, and the investigation is still underway.
