Trump University fraud case becomes campaign issue at GOP debate

Washington (CNN)Donald Trump likes to talk a lot about winning, but it is one of his failed ventures that brought out daggers from his opponents in Thursday night's Republican presidential debate. Florida Senator Marco Rubio took the first stab at trying to label Trump's failed "Trump University" as a fake. "There are people who borrowed $36,000 to go to Trump University, and they're suing now," Rubio said. "And you know what they got? They got to take a picture with a cardboard cutout of Donald Trump." That allegation is mostly true. Donald Trump continues to be haunted by a failed real estate investment school that threatens to pull him into the witness chair in the middle of this presidential campaign. And that opened the door for the second dagger in last night's debate, this time from Texas Senator Ted Cruz. "You know, Marco made reference earlier to the litigation against Trump University. It's a fraud case, " Cruz told the debate audience before asking Republican voters to think about what that would mean if Donald Trump is called into court to stand trial for fraud, right in the middle of an election. "If this man is the nominee, having the Republican nominee, on the stand in court, being cross-examined about whether he committed fraud, "Cruz explained, "You don't think the mainstream media will go crazy on that?" Trump brushed off the attacks saying the case is a civil suit that he intends to win. But it is also true that six years after the school shut down, is he still facing lawsuits. From the time he launched Trump University in 2005 until it shut down in 2010, about 10,000 students from across the country signed up for the program that promised success in real estate by offering courses and seminars based on the principles of the business mogul himself. "At Trump University, we teach success," Trump said in a 2005 infomercial when the program was launched. "That's what it's all about. Success. It's going to happen to you." Now, Trump is facing three separate lawsuits -- two class action suits filed in California and one filed by New York's attorney general -- which argue the program that took in an estimated $40 million, but was mired in fraud and deception. "We started looking at Trump University and discovered that it was a classic bait-and-switch scheme. It was a scam, starting with the fact that it was not a university," New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman told CNN's "New Day" after filing suit in 2013. Schneiderman's case argues that Trump and Michael Sexton, the former president of the program, engaged in fraudulent, illegal and deceptive conduct, and that although the program promised to offer courses taught by experts personally selected by Trump, the teachers were neither handpicked nor experts. Trump University's courses ranged from $1,495 three-day seminars to $35,000 "Gold" level programs that allowed for personal mentoring, real estate field trips and access to the expertise that made Trump a billionaire. Affidavits from the case additionally show some students felt the program consisted of worthless information they could have obtained for free elsewhere. Others said they simply did not receive the services they paid for. "I have not been able to get in touch with anyone after I signed up for the trump Gold Elite Program," student Kathleen Meese wrote in one such affidavit. Another enrollee, Michele Cintron, who paid $25,000 to have special access to high-level mentors said in an affidavit that a "non-existent 'power team'" was unable to be reached. As for investing knowledge, student Maribel Paredes described Trump University in an affidavit as "a bad investment on my part." CNN was unable to reach these former students for comment. Other former students who wrote affidavits for the lawsuits also declined to be interviewed. Most of the students never met or laid eyes on Trump, but representatives of the program, which is now called Trump Entrepreneur Initiative, say students were never promised they would meet Trump in person. Trump's attorney Alan Garten said many students were satisfied with the courses and the lack of success of some should not be attributed to the program.

EFCC arrests Diezani’s cousin, front for ‘illegal’ crude oil deals

Donald Chidi Amamgbo,

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is detaining Donald Chidi Amamgbo, a cousin of the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, for allegedly using four firms to illegally lift crude oil. The crude oil and natural gas involved are said to be worth billions of dollars. The arrest of Amamgbo is rated as a major breakthrough for the EFCC in its ongoing probe of the ex-Minister. The suspect, who was arrested in Lagos, was branded as a “front” for the ex-Minister. According to a source close to the investigation, the EFCC discovered that Amamgbo used four companies to lift oil and gas in billions of dollars. Amamgbo, who is chief executive of Mezcor Oil and Gas limited, Tridax Oil and Gas Limited, Lynear Energy Limited and Bulk Strategic Reserved Limited, was arrested in Lagos at about 4.20 P.M Thursday. Sources said that evidence gathered so far suggested the oil mogul might have acted as front for Mrs Alison-Madueke, who granted him approval to lo lift Nigerian crude oil without any requisite experience. Amamgbo, through his companies, Amamgbo lifted crude oil and gas worth billions of dollars over a period of four years. “A search conducted in the office and premises of Mezcor Oil and Gas Limited at No. 5 Sannar street, Wuse 2, Abuja yielded documents which included payments for the purchase of houses and vehicles.” Sources at the anti-graft agency said the investigation was continuing but the office of Mezcir Oil and Gas Limited at No.5 , Sannar Street, off Yalinga Street off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II Abuja, has been sealed. “During the search, documents, which include payments for purchase of houses and vehicles were recovered,” the source said. Another source said: “We are not giving up on other accomplices of the ex-minister who were used to plunder the nation’s oil industry.” The embattled Minister has had her movement restricted to London since last October. The International Corruption Unit (ICU) of the National Crime Agency (NCA) on October 2 arrested Mrs Alison-Madueke and four others. The identities of the others remain unknown, but all the suspects are being investigated for alleged bribery and money laundering.

Kim Kardashian breaks her silence over Kanye West's controversial rants

Kim has stood by Kanye West

Kim Kardashian has broken her silence over her Kanye West's controversial Twitter rants. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star has kept VERY quite, despite her rapper beau getting himself into all sorts of bother, after slating Taylor Swift and announcing he thinks Bill Crosby is innocent. She has now finally acknowledged that Kanye keeps going off on one on the social media site, leaving everyone stunned by his comments. Kim wrote a list of things that she admits she's "loving" at the moment and commented on his rants.

Kim Kardashian is standing by her man

The reality star wrote: "Loving: my husband," and hating "that people don't get that Kanye will stand up against the whole world for his creativity and art." Further referencing his outbursts, the mum-of-two said she wanted "everyone to be as honest as Kanye." Well, he certainly is very honest. There were previously rumours that Kim wants Kanye to get his own PR team to manage his image.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian-West

According to reports, the rapper's behaviour has 'embarrassed' her - but not enough that she's prepared to let it ruin her marriage. A source told PEOPLE: "At the end of the day, she is 110 percent committed to keeping her family together, and there won't be anything that will ever get in the way of that." It now seems she's loving his outbursts just as much as everyone else, sort of.

Buhari Rejects Invitation to Join Coalition of Islamic States against Terror

President Muhammadu Buhari has tactically rejected an invitation by Saudi Arabia to join the Coalition of Islamic States against Terror. Buhari, who is on a week-long visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, told his host ‎and ruler of Saudi Arabia. King Salman Bin Abdul-Aziz, ‎that rather than joining the coalition, Nigeria would support the coalition. He spoke at a bilateral meeting between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia in Riyadh hosted by the ruler, King Salman Bin Abdul-Aziz. The president, who made his first pronouncement on the invitation to join the coalition of Islamic states against terror spearheaded by the Saudis, congratulated the Kingdom on forming the coalition. He said: "Even if we are not a part of it, we support you. I must thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the recent creation of a coalition to address the menace of international terrorism. "Nigeria will support your efforts in keeping peace and stopping the spread of terror in your region. This is in consonance with our own commitment and on-going efforts in seeking to stamp out Boko Haram terrorists from the West African sub-region and Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC)."

Subscribers Win As Consumer Protection Council Directs MultiChoice To Release Free Channels, Install Toll-Free Lines, Others

After an extensive investigation, the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has said that it has substantiated allegations of violations of consumer rights by MultiChoice Nigeria Limited in the provision of its Digital Satellite Broadcast Television (DStv) service. A statement from the office of the Director General, Dupe Atoki said that the Council has issued far-reaching orders, including suspension of service when consumers are away; release of free-to-air channels, even when subscription expires; compensation across board to consumers for lost viewing time, introduction of local toll free lines; and reasonable equitable spread of popular sports channels, among others.

The multinational pay-media company is also required to present written assurances in line with Section 10 of the Council’s enabling law that it will not engage in any conduct which is detrimental to the interest of consumers. In the same vein, the company shall for 18 months from the date of the orders, subject its processes to the Council’s inspection to ensure compliance with the directives contained in the orders. During the course of the investigation, the statement said the Council observed that the company’s billing system, whereby “billing is not contemporaneous with the provision of service” was not in the best interest of consumers and therefore ordered MultiChoice to install a billing system that ensures billing starts with the provision of service. The pay-television company was also ordered to within 90 days provide across board compensation to its subscribers, considering the fact that many of them have over time lost legitimate and paid viewing time by its conduct of not restoring service contemporaneously after payment as well as other instances of disruptions.

Similarly, the company was also directed by CPC to within 180 days adopt a “technology that supports suspension of service when subscribers are otherwise unable to enjoy their service on account of being away for a limited period of time”, provided such a request for suspension of service is done for a period of between 7 to 14 days and not more than twice in a year with a 72-hour notice to MultiChoice. On non-availability of popular channels in certain bouquets, the Council ordered the firm to within 90 days ensure “a reasonably equitable spread of popular sports and other channels hitherto concentrated in its premium bouquet over all available bouquets”. MultiChoice was ordered to keep local and free-to-air channels open so that subscribers would have the opportunity of watching these channels, even when their subscriptions have expired. In order to aid easy and fast access to the company by subscribers who wish to make complaints or enquiries, CPC directed MultiChoice not only to maintain local toll-free telephone access lines for its call centres, but should also ensure the call centres operate for longer hours during public holidays and weekends. MultiChoice was also directed to formulate within 90 days a written compensation policy which should “outline amongst other things, the procedure for compensating subscribers for injury they suffer on account of MultiChoice conduct and take into consideration not just viewing time lost, but inconveniences suffered by subscribers”. The agency also directed MultiChoice to “develop a Customer Care Manual which shall contain mechanisms to address customer complaints in an accurate, friendly, timely, efficient, courteous and honest manner”. It was also directed to ensure that the list of all its accredited dealers and installers and their details be freely given to its customers at the point of subscription and also made available on its website and other information channels. In addition, the pay-media company is not only to ensure these accredited dealers and installers carry certified means of identification issued by it, subscribers must also be periodically educated on the means of identification, while it should also reasonably and adequately compensate subscribers where they experience loss of signal on account of faulty, poor or unprofessional installation by agents of MultiChoice. On the pay-television firm’s agreements with its subscribers, the Council disclosed that several provisions of the Service Level Agreement and the Terms and Conditions of Subscription signed on by subscribers were found to be grossly unfair, unjust and one-sided, directing that such provisions should be expunged, re-drafted and submitted to the Council. All the orders, which have already been served on MultiChoice, are effective, not later than 90 days from their receipt. Commenting, the Council’s Director General, Mrs. Dupe Atoki, expressed optimism that compliance with these reforms would bring about a new dawn for Nigerian consumers, who would henceforth enjoy value for money in their engagement with the company. Mrs. Atoki reiterated the Council’s commitment towards sanitising the nation’s market-place for the benefit of consumers, assuring that no stone would be left un-turned to ensure it is no longer business as usual and shoddy service delivery becomes a thing of the past in the country.