Alleged $5.9m Money Laundering: Court Unfreezes Patience Jonathan’s Account

Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday unfreeze a Skye bank Plc account containing $5,842,316.66 belonging to former first lady Dame Patience Jonathan earlier frozen by an order of the court.

Justice Olatoregun vacated the order while ruling on an application filed by the former first lady, in which she argued that she was not a party in the suit leading to the order made by the court freezing her account.

Mrs. Jonathan had also argued through her counsel, Adedayo Adedipe a Senior Advocate of Nigeria that the suit was an abuse of court process as the court has no jurisdiction to make an order against a party that is not a party in a suit filed before the court.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) did not file a response to the application filed to discharge the order.

In her ruling, Justice Olatoregun agreed with the submission of Adedipe and discharged the order freezing the account.

The judge held that the court cannot exercise jurisdiction over a party that is not before the court.

The court further stated that since the account frozen is a personal account of the former first lady, should ought to have been joined in the suit to enable her respond to the allegation.

The anti-graft agency had something in September last year filed an exparte application  before the court, seeking an order of temporary forfeiture of Mrs. Jonathan’s account containing the sum of $5,842,316.66 domicile with Skye on the ground that the money is suspected to be proceeds of crime.

Also affected by the said order are five companies and one Esther Oba who were having a total sums of N7,418,829,290.94 for the five companies and $429,381.87 for Esther Oba in six different commercial banks.

The court is yet to lift the frozen order on the company’s account and that of Oba.

The EFCC had claimed in an affidavit attached to the suit, sworn to by an investigating officer commission, Abdulahi Tukur, that there is urgent need for the court to direct the managers of the bank accounts contained in the schedule filed with the summons FHC/L/CS/1343/16 to in the interim, forfeit the money contain therein to prevent further tampering  with the account being sought to be attached.

 “Dame Patience Jonathan’s money in Skye bank account number 2110001712 with current balance of $5,842,316.66 is reasonably suspected to be proceed of crime. Five companies Finchley Top Homes Limited, Aribawa Aruera,Magel resort Limited, AM -PM Global network Limited Pansy Oil and Gas Limited and Esther Oba are also affected.

“Finchley Top Homes Limited fraudulently open account number 1102001996 domicile with ECOBANK PLC with a current balance of N226,376,700.23 and a fixed deposit with balance of N1,099,511,484.88.

“Finchley Top Homes Limited also fraudulently open the following accounts, 1771731336 domicile with SKYE bank PLC with current balance of N14,173,848.85, 4011019539 domicile with Fidelity bank Plc with current balance of N1,800,494,000.00 0016901361 domiciled with Stanbic bank Plc  with current balance of N40,594,12.88 0019213687 domiciled with Diamond bank Plc with current balance  of N39,418,712.12

“Another Limited liability company affected by the order of the court is Aribawa Aruera reachout Foundation opened account number 1222014221 domiciled with ECOBANK bank Plc with closing balance of N479,893,431.01

“Others are, Magel resort limited open account number 4011019546/5250059782 domiciled with Fidelity bank Plc with current balance of N1,000,494,000.

“There were other two accounts open by Magel Resort Limited, 1011744356 domiciled with Zenith bank Plc with balance of N858,923,982.00 and 0024351590 domiciled with Diamond bank Plc with balance of N174,166,207.00.

“AM-PM Global Network Limited open account number 0026718889 domiciled with Diamond bank Plc with balance of N7,213,303.50

“Pagmat oil and Gas Limited open account number 4011019577 with Fidelity bank with current balance of N1,809,666,494.68 and account number 0026838491 with Diamond bank Plc with balance of N55,930,024.50.

“Esther Oba open account number 0019213689 with Diamond Skye bank Plc with current balance of $429,381.87

“All the monies were suspected to be proceeds of crime.

“Consequently upon the receipt of intelligent report EFCC analyzed it and found it to be worthy of investigation. Therefore, Mr Tukur averred that it will serve the course of Justice to grant this application.

Justice Mojisola Olatoregun while granting the order freezing the accounts listed above, ordered the anti -graft agency to file undertaking as to damages if it turned out that the order was not to have been made.