EFCC Withdraws Suit Against Patience Jonathan
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday withdrew a suit it filed against former first lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, seeking to freeze the sum of $5, 316. 66 USD, allegedly linked to her and some companies.
The EFCC, through one of his lawyers, Mohammed Idris told Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court in Lagos that the commission had decided to discontinue the case.
After listening to the lawyer, Justice Olatoregun struck out the suit.
It was gathered that the anti-graft agency planned to replace the suit with an application to seeking the forfeiture of the sum to federal government.
Apart from Mrs Jonathan, other respondents listed in the case are five companies, Finchley Top Homes Limited, AM-PM Global Network Limited, Aribawa Arura Reachout Foundation, and Pagmat Oil and Gas Limited and Mabel Resort Limited.
The anti-graft agency claimed that a total sum of N7, 418, 829, 290.94 billion was discovered in the bank account of the companies while $429, 381.87 million was uncovered from that of one Esther Oba.
The monies were said to be kept in six different commercial banks.
It will be recalled that Justice Olatoregun, had sometime in December 2016 ordered that the accounts be frozen pending the conclusion of investigation on the money, in a suit marked FHC/L/CS/1342/16, between the government and the respondents
The judge had also ordered the EFCC to file an undertaking as to damages if it turned out that the order should not to have been made.
The EFCC had through one of its investigators, Abdulahi Tukura, in an affidavit, told the court that the former first lady used different companies and individual to acquire the money.
Tukura, had alleged that Mrs Jonathan’s money in Skye bank account number 2110001712 with current balance of $5, 842, 316. 66 billion is reasonably suspected to be proceed of crime.
The EFCC operative stated that all the companies mentioned in the suit have their accounts in four commercial banks, where the monies were kept.
Tukura had stated in the affidavit that upon the receipt of intelligent report on the accounts, his commission analysed it and found it to be worthy of investigation. He therefore, averred that it will serve the course of Justice to grant this application.