Patience, wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan has forfeited temporarily N1.0004 billion to the Federal Government.
The interim forfeiture followed a court order secured by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Patience Jonathan |
The money was lodged in three deposits with Fidelity Bank Plc on 20th and 25th May, 2015.
The forfeiture order by Federal High Court sitting in Kano and
presided over by Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa is consequent upon a motion ex
parte filed by the Commission seeking for the interim forfeiture of the
money.
The money was found in the account of Magel Resort Limited, a company linked to the former First Lady Patience Jonathan.
The Commission had gotten an intel that a bank account domiciled in
Fidelity Bank, had a huge sum of money that was not being used by
anybody.
Upon receipt of the intelligence, the EFCC swung into action by
conducting preliminary investigation, which revealed that Patience and
some relatives of former president, Goodluck Jonathan were directors of
the Company.
Others named as directors are Oba Oba Tamunotonye, Goodluck Jonathan Aruera, Goodluck Jonathan Ariwabai and Esther Fynface.
In trying to trace the origin of the money, it was discovered that
N500,000 was deposited on the 20th of May, 2015 by Fynface, who is
alleged to be in charge of the Company, while N1 billion (One Billion
Naira Only) was transferred in two tranches on the 25th May, 2015 from
PAGMAT OIL AND GAS NIGERIA LIMITED, a company that was not incorporated
with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa held that: “An interim forfeiture order is
granted to the Federal Government in the sum of N1,000,494,000 (One
Billion, Four Hundred and Ninety Four Thousand Naira Only) in the Bank
account of the 1st respondent Magel Resort Limited 4011019546 which is
maintained with 2nd respondent Fidelity Bank Plc”.
The court further ordered that the forfeited sum be deposited in the Treasury Single Account of the Federal Government.
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