Court freezes N350m in account linked with Patience Jonathan
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The Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday froze the sum of N350m found in the Stanbic IBTC Bank account of a company, AM-PM Global Network Limited, said to have links with the wife of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience.
Justice Hadizat Shagari froze the company’s account following an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The EFCC, in the ex parte application, claimed that its investigation revealed that the N350m was part of a sum of N1, 206,950,000, being proceeds of Patience’s unlawful enrichment kept in the company’s Diamond Bank account.
The anti-graft agency stated that it was in its desperate bid to dissipate the money that AM-PM Global Network Limited transferred N350m out the N1.2bn into an account it opened at the Walter Carrington, Victoria Island branch of Stanbic IBTC.
An operative of the EFCC, Musbau Yahaya, who deposed to a nine-paragraph affidavit in support of the ex parte application, averred that, “I know as a fact and I verily believe that our investigation has revealed the following facts: (a) That between the 20th day of June, 2012 and the 15th day of November, 2013, the respondent (AM-PM Global Network Limited) fraudulently received a total sum of N1,206,950,000 into its Diamond Bank account No. 0026718889, being proceeds of unlawful enrichment derived by Mrs. Dame Patience Jonathan, who was a permanent secretary appointed by the Bayelsa State Government.
“(b) That in a bid to dissipate the funds, the respondent opened account No. 0016971559 with Stanbic IBTC.
“(c) That out of the alleged proceeds of unlawful enrichment of Mrs. Dame Patience Jonathan, the respondent transferred the total sum of N350,000,000 from its account in Diamond Bank to the account sought to be attached in a desperate move to dissipate the funds.
“(d) That we have traced the said N350,000,000 to the respondent’s account sought to be attached and the order of this honourable court is needed to instruct the bank to attach the account to prevent the dissipation of the funds.”
Moving the ex parte application on Tuesday, counsel for the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, begged Justice Shagari to order the freezing of the account in the interest of justice.
Justice Shagari granted same.
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