To make the proposal convincing, Nwude and his team traveled to London to meet Sakaguchi in person. At the meeting, they presented expertly forged CBN letterheads, official-looking government contracts, and architectural blueprints for a completely fictitious airport. To cloud Sakaguchi’s judgment, Nwude offered him a personal commission of $13.4 million simply for approving his bank’s funding for the project. Blinded by greed, Sakaguchi bypassed strict internal oversight and authorized the investment. Over the next three years, Nwude sent frequent “progress updates,” requesting installment payments to fund different phases of the fictional construction. Sakaguchi approved hundreds of wire transfers, ranging from hundreds of thousands to several million dollars at a time. In total, Sakaguchi transferred $191 million in cash (with the remainder in outstanding interest) into accounts controlled by Nwude. The fraud went undetected until Banco Santander attempted to acquire Banco Noroeste in 1997 and discovered that 40% of the bank’s value was missing. The massive financial hit ultimately led to the collapse of Banco Noroeste.

The incident took place during her youth when an unregulated practitioner convinced her to undergo a cheap beauty treatment to enhance her cheekbones and jawline.