The last has not been heard of the fraud allegation leveled against singer, Skales’ manager, Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe, as reports have emerged that she (the manager) has been remanded in police custody.
Reports had made the rounds that the manager defrauded
the record label, Baseline Records to the tune of N13, 374, 000.
The label in a lengthy petition dated May 19, 2016 and
addressed to the Assistant Inspector General, AIG, of Police, Zone 2 Zonal
Command, Onikan, Lagos, claimed that, “Skales introduced Teresa Osagioduwa
Osarenkhoe to the Company as his manager and stated her duties to include inter
alia tour bookings, strategy and promotion.
“By the Company’s estimation, from the aforementioned
events, Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe has fraudulently converted the sum of
N7,474,000 from this brief period without accounting to the Company or making
payments first into the Company’s accounts as stipulated in the Contract’.
Also in an official press release on Thursday, the label
confirmed the arrest of the singer’s manager.
The statement reads, “Osagie (Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe)
was arrested today by the Nigerian Police at the instance of Skales Record
Label, Baseline Records. She was accused of fraudulently diverting N13.3m
belonging to the record label for personal purposes.
“1) THEFT OF COMPANY MONIES EARNED BY SKALES FROM
MARCH-APRIL 2016
“The Company noticed that although Skales was listed as
performing at various concerts, shows, tours and other events, none of the
monies received from these events was remitted to the Company.
“In this regard, the Company invited Skales and his
manager Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe to various meetings seeking an account and
reconciliation. At these meetings, both Skales and his manager Teresa
Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe insisted that the events in question were not paid events
and as such there were no monies to remit.
“These dubious activities continued for a period of 12
(twelve) months wherein the Company was fraudulently deprived of its legitimate
earnings by the said Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe as payments made for
performances were paid directly into her account in violation of the procedure
set up for payments at the beginning of the Contract.
“The Company in March of 2016 decided to catalogue some
of the paid shows, performances, concerts and tours wherein Skales performed
and the monies were fraudulently converted for personal use by the said Teresa
Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe.
“Please find below a list of said performances which only
covers the period from 3rd March 2016 to 1st May 2016.
“By the Company’s estimation, from the aforementioned
events, Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe has fraudulently converted the sum of N7,
474, 000 from this brief period without accounting to the Company or making
payments first into the Company’s accounts as stipulated in the Contract.
“This is without factoring all the other performances,
tours and shows where no remittance was made from the period January 2015 to
April 2016.
“In order to properly document this fraud and catch
Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe in the act of theft, the Company created an email
address, and sent an email to Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe requesting the
performance of Skales at an event in California on the 2nd June, 2016.
“In the email communication, Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe
requested the sum of $5,000 (five thousand US dollars) for the performance as
well as one business class ticket, one economy class ticket and two hotel rooms
in a 4-star hotel.
“Please find enclosed herewith the email communication
between Skales and Femi George with respect to the said performance…
“On 18th May, 2016 the first tranche of $2,500 (two
thousand five hundred US dollars) representing 50% (fifty percent) of the
performance fee demanded by Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe was wired into the
following account:
Bank of America.
Name: Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe.
Account Number: 483063945907
“Please find enclosed herewith proof of transfer of the
$2,500…
“Subsequent to the transfer of the money, our Samuel
Gbemileke Samuel telephoned the said Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe requesting
for an account of all monies received by Skales for performances and tours for
the month of May. Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe insisted that there had been no
paid performances for Skales during the period in question.
“2) THEFT OF THE SUM OF N5,000,000 (Five million naira)
BEING PAYMENT FOR MTN PULSE
“The Company in 2015 entered into an agreement with
Upfront and Personal, for the engagement of Skales to appear in TV commercials,
billboards websites and other social media on behalf of MTN Pulse.
“As per the terms of the agreement, Upfront and Personal
was to pay to the Company the sum of N5,000,000 (five million naira) in two
tranches of N2,500,000 (two million five hundred thousand naira each). The said
Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe representing that she was authorized by the
Company obtained the sum of N5,000,000 (five million naira) due to the Company
without being so authorized.
“Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe has failed after repeated
demands to repay the said N5,000,000 (five million naira) fraudulently
obtained.
“Given the above circumstances, the Company believes that
a fraud has been committed against it by Teresa Osagioduwa Osarenkhoe,” the
statement added.
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