Mimi Orjiekwe Addresses N700M Fraud Allegation, Refutes Police Arrest, and Takes Legal Action Against Micheal Diongoli for Cyber Harassment
Nollywood actress, Mimi Orjiekwe has debunked the news of a police arrest that was circulated on social media over a false 700 million naira fraud allegation by UK-Dion’s Mr Michael Diongoli, a former Ponzi finance operator, currently facing 61 criminal count charge for 3.7billion naira fraud by EFCC and Interpol at the Federal High Court, Lagos.
It was widely reported that the actress was in the custody of the Nigerian Police over Michael Diongoli’s false allegations, but her legal team has revealed that both the purported arrest and 700 million naira claim were untrue.
According to a tweet by Mimi’s lawyer, Barr Chino Obiagwu SAN on Wednesday, Mimi only visited the Special Fraud Unit of the Ikoyi police station at the invitation of the police based on allegations made by Mr. Michael Diongoli, who bought furniture from her Interior decoration company, FBM Homes in 2021.
“Despite S 8(2) of Admin criminal justice act 2015, @policeng continues to arrest & Detain suspects on matters boarding on civil transactions. Lately, my client, actress and interior designer @MimiOrjiekweng was invited by SFU on a contract dispute. @policeng impunity must end now”.
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Barr. Obiagwu explained that Diongoli, who has refused to pay an outstanding of 89 million naira for storage and clearance charges resorted to using the police to intimidate his client so that he will collect the goods without paying.
Mr. Diongoli claimed that Mimi refused to supply the furniture he paid for and that he was defrauded. He also falsely claimed that the contract was for 700 million naira when actually it was for 472 million naira.
At the police station, Mimi was said to have explained that the civil transaction between her and Mr. Diongoli was purely contractual and outside the criminal jurisdiction of the police.
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Meanwhile, FBM Homes couldn’t complete the installation of the furniture at Diongoli’s because her workers were asked to leave the site, following the confiscation of the building by EFCC and Interpol.
All the furniture procured for Diongoli’s house are stored in a secured warehouse, which Mr Diongoli, on his release from custody, refused to pay the outstanding balance of 89 million including storage and clearance charges.
Mr. Michael Diongoli’s tactics of using the police to harass and intimidate Ms. Orjiekwe to collect the remaining furniture without paying the outstanding balance has been challenged in a suit filed by her lawyer at the Federal High Court Lagos for the enforcement of her fundamental rights. Also, the unlawful posts made on blogs such as ‘cutie juiz’, etc. about the so-called arrests as a result of the false allegations by Mr. Diongoli were part of the court claims, in which a compensation of N200m has been claimed on her behalf.
Mimi has since returned to her normal life and business, as the law is clear under the Police Act 2020 and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 that no criminal charge can arise from a matter that borders on civil transactions.
Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.
