Lukman Olabiyi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) has asked the Federal High Court, Lagos, to ignore the prayer of former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, to stop the final forfeiture of the sums of$8.4 million and N9.2 billion, allegedly linked to her, to the Federal Government.
The commission, through it lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, while responding to the counter-affidavit filed the former First Lady and others against the motion of EFCC seeking final forfeiture of the funds, held that Mrs. Jonathan and others had failed to prove the legitimacy of funds traced to their accounts.
The funds were said to be in the custody of Skye Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc, Stanbic IBTC Bank and First Bank Plc.
Justice Mojisola Olatoregun had on April 20, 2018, upon the granting of an ex parte motion by the anti-graft agency, ordered the temporary forfeiture of the funds to the Federal Government.
Following the interim order of forfeiture, Mrs. Jonathan, alongside some other interested parties, filed several processes before the court asking that the order be vacated.
Aside from the ex-First Lady, other parties joined as respondents in the suit by the EFCC were five firms and Esther Oba.
The firms were Finchley Top Homes Limited, Globus Integrated Services Limited, Am-Pm Global Network Limited, Pagmat Oil and Gas Limited and Magel Resort Limited.
In his submission for final forfeiture, Oyedepo told the court that Mrs. Jonathan fraudulently diverted funds from Women for Change Initiative, a non-governmental organisation linked to her.
According to him, most of the funds were fraudulently diverted from the NGO to other accounts of the second to sixth respondents, companies said to be owned by the former First Lady.
Oyedepo said: “Women for Change Initiative is not joined in this suit; we are not asking for forfeiture of its money, the funds have been converted and that is an unlawful act.’’
He further told the court that Mrs. Jonathan signed some of the fund transfer instructions personally and also signed using other people’s names and passport photographs.
The court has fixed February 11 to deliver judgement in the suit.