From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has given an undertaking before the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal not to seal up The Sun Publishing Limited until the judgment in the appeal filed by the company.
The undertaking by the ant-graft agency is contained in its counter affidavit to the motion on notice filed at the Court of Appeal by the publishing company for a restraining order against the Commission.
Although hearing in the motion was stalled as the court did not sit due to lack of quorum, the EFCC in a 15 paragraphs counter affidavit of June 14, and sworn to by Henry Ejiga, said it ‘was not in anyway attempting to seal up the premises but would only abide by the order of court in respect on the forfeiture order.
The anti-graft agency further said its team arrived at The Sun Publishing Limited on June 12, 2017 and discovered that no one has tempered with the forfeited assets and assured the workers that they just came for inspection and to sight the premises.
Besides, the Commission told the court in its counter affidavit that it did not seal up the premises of the company as its visit was a routine in line with its mandate.
EFCC said its Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, in line with the mandate of the Commission to ensure that no one tempers with the forfeited assets constituted a team of eight officers to go round Lagos State between June 12 and 13 to inspect the forfeited assets within the area and report back to him about the status of those assets.
Heavily armed operatives of the EFCC had on Monday, June 12, invaded the corporate head office of The Sun Publishing limited in a bid to revive a 10-year-old interim order of forfeiture.
The development which received serious condemnation from lawyers, Civil Society organizations, rights activists, Newspaper Proprietor’s Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), the International Press Centre (IPC) amongst others, gave rise to a law suit against the Commission by the company at the Court of Appeal.
In the suit before the appellate court, The Sun Publishing Limited is seeking an order restraining the EFCC from further attempting to seal its premises pending the hearing and determination of its appeal before the court.
In a motion on notice dated and filed June 12, 2017, the company accused the EFCC of resorting to self-help by attempting to enforce an interim forfeiture order, which has been appealed.
The motion which was filed by counsel to the company, Chief Chris Uche (SAN) further drew the attention of the court to a pending motion for stay of execution of the ex-parte interim order of forfeiture.