National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
Tayo Olanipekun
Albania’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign affairs has fired with immediate effect an Indian serving as its Honorary Consul in Nigeria, after learning he was wanted in his country for money laundering and that he got the appointment through questionable means.
According to agency reports on Tuesday, the ministry interrupted Nitin Sandesara’s mandate as a Consul in Nigeria because his case “may damage the (country’s) image and reputation.”
Nitin and his brother, Cetan Sandesara, own the Sterling Biotech company, which they used to borrow $725 million from banks there and leave India.
“The formalities for appointing Mr. Nitin Sandesara as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Albania in Nigeria were completed in January 2019. The formalities for the appointment were determined by the criteria and conditions, as specified in the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” noted the report.
It, however, stated that the grant of Albanian citizenship and issuance of Albanian passport to Mr. Sandesara was not a procedure that was conducted through the Ministry and the procedure was not “within the competence of this institution.”
It also added that though the Ministry has the authority to issue diplomatic and service passports, “neither a diplomatic passport, nor a service passport has been issued to Mr. Sandesara.”
Albanian government said irrespective of the fact that actions by Mr. Sandesara have been taken in his personal name, that he has Albanian citizenship may infringe the image and reputation of both the Institution of the Honorary Consul, and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and the Albanian State overall.
The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs informs that it has all the legal rights to terminate the functions of the Honorary Consul, stating further that “the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has terminated the functions of the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Albania in Nigeria for Mr. Nitin Sandesara with immediate effect.”
