Olam Confirms Paying Bond to Secure Release of Director Amid Police Probe

Olam Group said its Nigerian unit posted a bond for its director Mr Prakash Kanth to “secure (his) continued cooperation… with any legitimate requests from (the) relevant Nigerian authorities for information or assistance”.

This was in reference to a Sept 11 report published in Daily Nigerian, which reported that Olam Nigeria paid a “humongous” bail bond of 1 billion nairas (S$1.9 million) to secure the release of Kanth from being held by the country’s Department of State Services (DSS).

Citing a payment slip seen by Daily Nigerian, the newspaper said the money was paid into a special recovery account operated by DSS.

It also claimed the payment was made by an Olam subsidiary, Microfeed Nigeria, in connection with an ongoing investigation of money laundering involving Mr Kanth.

Mr Kanth, who is director of corporate affairs and legal at Olam Nigeria, was reported by the newspaper to have spent days in the DSS detention facility in Abuja.

While Olam’s announcement confirms that a bond was posted, the group did not mention the amount paid.

“The company continues to cooperate fully with the relevant authorities and will update our shareholders and the investing public on any material developments in accordance with the requirements of the SGX-ST listing rules,” it said.

The update comes after Olam on Monday released a statement refuting allegations made through media reports – including an earlier article by Daily Nigerian – that the group and its subsidiaries were embroiled in alleged fraud involving over US$50 billion (S$68 billion).

While Olam highlighted and addressed several statements that it claimed to be inaccurate, baseless and inflammatory, the group’s board has ordered a review of the matter.