SEVEN months after the death of the former governor of Bayelsa state, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, Panama Papers, the leaked documents of a Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca, have revealed he erected solid offshore structures.

The documents showed that lawyers working for the UK branch of the law firm initiated the paperworks for the registration of his company, Solomon & Peters Limited in September 1999 in the United Kingdom.

According to the documents obtained by German newspaper, Suddeutsche Zeitung, and shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Solomon & Peters was eventually incorporated on October 1, 1999 in the British Virgin Is- land as an “International

Business Company”. Solomon & Peters was central in the allegations of looting made against the ex-governor before, during and after he was impeached in December 2005. He was elected governor in 1999. Panama Papers indicated that on September 21, 1999, barely three months after Alamieyeseigha assumed office as governor, one Sue Bloom from the Mossack Fonseca office in London made a fax transmission to Rose- marie Flax of Mossack Fonseca office in British Virgin Island (BVI) re- questing to know if the name Solomon & Peters Limited was available

for registration in BVI. Other Mossack Fonseca personnel involved in the registration was Amanda Coyle, Desiree Chalwell and Bryan Scatliffe. Solomon & Peters was incorporated

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with authorised capital of US$50,000 divided into 50,000 shares.

Reports said Alamieyeseigha was unwilling to take chances by appointing proxies, who might one day undercut him. Therefore, he appointed himself as both the First Director and Secretary of Solomon & Peters.

Mossack Fonseca lat-erresigned as administrator of Solomon & Peters after the governor was arrested. The Panamanian authorities had compelled the law firm to surrender documents about the corrupt politicians and his company.

UK authorities seized $1.5 cash stashed in his London home. They also seized $2.7 million in a bank account at the Royal Bank of Scot- land and $15 million in London real estate.