Justice Olatoregun of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, today, April 26, 2017, granted an ex-parte application brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC ordering the interim forfeiture of the sum of $5.8Million belonging to former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.
Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the EFCC in his application, asked the court for an order forfeiting the sum of $5, 842, 316. 66 (Five Million Eight Hundred and Forty Two Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixteen United State Dollars, Sixty Six cent) to the Federal Government, domiciled with Skye bank in the name of Dame Patience Jonathan.
Also, the court granted the application seeking for the forfeiture of the sum of N2, 421, 953, 522. 78 (Two Billion, Four Hundred and Twenty One Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Three Thousand, Five Hundred and Twenty Two Naira, Seventy Eight Kobo) domiciled with Ecobank Plc belonging to La Wari Furniture and Baths Ltd, which sum is reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime.
In the same application, the EFCC also sought for the court’s order to publish in any national newspaper the interim forfeiture of the funds stated above for the respondents to appear before the court in 14 days and state why the money should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government.
The matter was adjourned to May 15, 2017.
