La Campagne battles blackmailers, condemns alleged court freezing of firm’s accounts

Popular tourist resort in Lagos, La Campagne Tropicana Beach and Resort, operated by Mr. Wanle Akinboboye, has disclosed that it is in a battle with blackmailers it accused of being ‘bent on tarnishing its name and that of the company’ over a purported freezing of the bank accounts of the firm.

Narrating its ordeal over activities of blackmailers, the Management of the tourist resort, in a statement released, weekend, condemned plots by undisclosed persons aimed at distorting its reputation and obstructing operations.

La Campagne, however, assured the general public that its facilities and operations are safe, adding that the company’s safety and security are guaranteed.

According to the awards-winning African themed resort located in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, it refuses to be drawn into what it described as ‘calculated attempts by certain individuals and organisations to rubbish its business and good standing in the public.’

In a statement issued in reaction to a publication, titled; Court freezes accounts of La Campagne Tropicana over alleged N46.7m debt,’ which has been making the rounds in the media, the company ‘wondered why the plaintiff and its cohorts have resorted to such cheap blackmail and destruction of its operations if it believed it had a case against it and allowed the court to do its work.’

“We wonder why the plaintiff felt it was necessary to ensure this order was widely publicised, as strictly speaking there was no need to do anything other than serve the order on the banks to which it was addressed.

“We want to assure our numerous customers, suppliers, business associates and the general public of our unshaken commitment to conducting business with the highest ethical standards,” La Campagne said.

The resort firm, however, cautioned the commercial bank and its personnel to desist from further maligning its image and attempting to distort its operations, noting that La Campagne is a legal entity which fully abides by the laws of the land and the right business ethos.

”We believe that the court is best placed to adjudicate on any alleged liability on our part. However, unless and until such liability is judicially established we believe the plaintiff should refrain from any attempt to disrupt our business operations. To do otherwise creates an unfavorable impression of its business practices.

“We also intend to examine our legal rights with respect to this calculated and malicious disruption of our operations,” the company said.

La Campagne said that its reaction follows ‘careful consideration it has reached to issue a statement in response to the mischievous, ill-motivated and ill-conceived publication that has been widely circulated in relation to the freezing of our accounts due to an alleged debt owed by our company to Ecobank.’

“As this matter is sub-juiced we are obviously constrained as to what we can say about the subject matter of the suit. However, we feel it is necessary to note:

“That the freezing of our accounts  was effected  on the authority  of a Mareva injunction, which is an interim ex parte order obtained without giving  the party against whom it  is made an opportunity to respond to the claims made in obtaining such order. It should therefore be noted that this order was made without hearing the matter or considering the merits of the case based on the evidence of both parties.

“That this interim order has a life span of seven days and appears to have been obtained purely in order to embarrass our company. Our belief in this regard is predicated on certain statements made by the plaintiff’s staff to the effect that they would embarrass our Founder if we did not immediately cave into their unsubstantiated demands.  

“That our company is disputing the claims made in the suit and would have expected the plaintiff to rely on the court and the strength of its evidence in relation to the ‘alleged’ outstanding loan rather than deploy tactics that are normally used against a plaintiff that does not reside in the jurisdiction and could therefore easily flee same with its assets before the case commenced,” it said.

Condemning what it also described as ‘the underhand tactics of the bank and its cohorts to cast aspersion on its organisation which has over the last 30 years operated and contributed to the development of the economy of the country and its citizenry as a wholly Nigerian owned firm,’ La Campagne said the company ‘has no intention of changing its base from Nigeria,’ adding that it is ‘deeply offended by the plaintiff’s tactics which in our opinion create an inference that it does not believe in the strength of its case and therefore decided to resort to bully – boy tactics.’’