Patience Jonathan $5.8m: Court issues fresh order directing interim forfeiture
Barely two weeks after a Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos unfrozen a Skye bank account belonging to former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, the court again on Wednesday granted an ex parte application seeking an order of interim forfeiture of the sum of $5.8 million belonging to her.
The new order was granted about 24 hours after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had withdrawn an application for stay of the court’s judgment.
The commission wants the sum forfeited to the federal government pending the determination of the motion on notice.
In an ex parte application yesterday, counsel to the EFCC Mr Rotimi Oyedepo urged the court to grant the order as prayed.
Justice Mojisola Olatoregun held: “order is granted as prayed.”
In the new motion titled ‘Action in Rem’ the commission seeks an interim order directing interim forfeiture of the sum of 5.8 million dollars found by the commission in the Skye bank account of Jonathan.
Also, the commission seeks an order directing the interim forfeiture of the sum of N2.4 billion discovered in an Ecobank account in the name of La Wari Furniture and Bath Ltd, which sum is reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime.
In addition, the commission seeks an order, directing the publication in any national newspaper, of the said order, to enable any interested party to appear and show cause why the interim order should not be made final.
According to an affidavit in support deposed to by one Musbahu Abubakar, the commission avers that it received an intelligence report that funds suspected to be proceeds of crime were warehoused in a Skye bank account in the name of Jonathan.
It said that the said report was analyzed and found worthy of investigation adding that the ex-first lady opened the account on February 7, 2013.
According to the commission, several cash deposits were made by the ex First Lady in United States dollars, through a former special assistant to ex President Goodluck Jonathan, Waripamo Dudafa.
The commission avers that another frequent depositor of funds into the said account was one Festus Iyoha, who, it said was a steward of the State House Abuja.
The EFCC said that between February 8, 2013 and January 30, 2015, the sum of about $6.7 million, suspected to be proceeds of crime, was deposited into the account.
According to the commission, Mrs. Jonathan had dissipated the funds, leaving a balance of about $5.7 million.
The commission therefore avers that if the funds are not forfeited in the interim, it may be fully dissipated by Jonathan adding that the sum of N2.03 billion, reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime is currently on fixed deposit in the account of La Wari Furniture, plus a credit balance of about N389 million.
The commission urged the court to grant the application in the interest of justice.
Meanwhile Justice Mojisola Olatoregun has fixed May 15, to enable any interested party to appear and show cause why the interim order should not be made final.
