Wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, has approached the Court of Appeal, seeking to reverse the order of the Federal High Court freezing her Skye Bank account with a balance of $5.9m.
Following an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on April 26, 2017, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun had made an interim order freezing Patience’s account.
The judge ordered the EFCC to publish the freezing order in a national daily and adjourned till May 15 for any interested party to appear before her to give reasons why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
At the resumed proceedings in the case on Monday, Patience’s lawyer, Mr Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), said her client had not been given sufficient notice of the case to enable her respond, pointing out that the EFCC only published the freezing order May 11.
He added that his client had also gone on appeal to challenge the freezing order and had also filed an application praying that further proceedings in the case should be suspended until the outcome of the appeal.
But the EFCC lawyer, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, insisted that the business of the day was for anyone who had objection to the forfeiture order to appear in court to give reasons why the money should not be permanently forfeited.
He urged the judge to ignore Adedipe’s submission, saying it was not in consonance with the business of the day.
Responding to the counsel, the judge noted that the forfeiture order was published too late and said she would adjourn the matter to avail interested parties adequate time to appear before her to show reasons why the money should not be permanently forfeited.
She consequently adjourned till May 22, 2017.
The EFFC had while obtaining the freezing order told the judge that the $5.9m found in Patience’s account was suspected proceeds of crime.
Apart from the Skye Bank account with $5.9m, the EFCC also obtained a freezing order in respect of an Ecobank account with a balance of N2.4bn which was opened in the name of one La Wari Furniture and Bath Limited.
In an affidavit filed in support of the new application, an operative of the EFCC, Musbahu Abubakar, stated that Patience opened the Skye Bank account on February 7, 2013 and used it to allegedly warehouse proceeds of crime.
According to Abubakar, Patience made several cash deposits in United States’ dollars into the account through a former Special Assistant to ex-President Jonathan, Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, and a State House steward, Festus Iyoha.
He said as of January 30, 2015, the Skye Bank account had a balance of $6.7m but Patience subsequently withdrew it down to $5.7m.
The EFCC prayed the court to urgently freeze the account so as to prevent Patience from moving the funds.
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