A federal high court in Lagos has frozen different accounts belonging to the former first lady of Nigeria,Mrs Patience Jonathan in five over money laundering.
Justice Mojisola Olatoregun made the order freezing the accounts after
listening to an exparte application filed by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC), sometime in November.
The order, according to the Commission, covers Mrs. Jonathan’s accounts
in Ecobank Plc, Skye Bank Plc, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Diamond Bank Plc
and Fidelity Bank Plc.
The anti-graft agency said that the move to request the freezing of the
accounts became necessary after it received intelligence report, which
showed that the accounts ought to be investigated.
The ex-parte application to freeze the accounts was supported by an
originating summons sworn to by one Abdulahi Tukur, an operative of
EFCC, and filed before the court by the EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi
Oyedepo.
It requested the court to urgently direct the managers of the bank
accounts to, in the interim, forfeit the money in the accounts, to
prevent further tampering with same.
After issuing the order, Justice Olatoregun directed the anti-graft agency
to enter into an undertaking to pay damages to the former first lady if it
turns out that the order should not have been made.
One of the account, domiciled with Skye Bank plc, is said to have a
balance of $5,316.66.
Also affected by the order are five companies namely; Finchley Top
Homes Limited, Aribawa Aruera, Magel Resort Limited, AM-PM Global
Network Limited and Pansy Oil and Gas Limited.
Also affected is one Esther Oba who is said to have a balance of
$429,381.87 in her Diamond Bank account while the companies
collectively have a balance totaling N7,418,829,290.94 (Seven billion four
hundred and eighteen million eight hundred and twenty nine thousand
two hundred and ninety naira ninety four kobo).
No comments:
Post a Comment