N537.3m Debt: Court Orders AMCON To Seize Ex-Governor Donald Duke Property
Justice Chuka Obiozor of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday granted permission to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and United Bank for Africa to take over a property located in Lagos belonging to a former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, over an alleged debt of N537,334,360.77.
The defendants in the suit were Stonehedge Investment Limited, Mr Donald Duke and Mrs Owanari Bob-Manuel Duke.
The AMCON and the bank had prayed the court for “an order of interim attachment, possession and custody of the property being No. 3, Temple Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.”
They told the court that the property was mortgaged by Duke “as collateral in securing the 1st respondent’s indebtedness to the applicants.”
They urged the court to grant them possession of the property, “pending the institution and disposal of proceedings for recovery of debt against the respondent, pursuant to Section 49 of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria Act 2010 (as amended).”
They also prayed the court for an interim Mareva injunction to take possession of funds in the accounts of Duke and others in any bank, “pending the institutional and disposal of proceedings for the recovery of a debt of N537,334,360.77 made up of the principal debt and interest against the respondents pursuant to Section 50 of AMCON Act 2010.”
The judge granted the prayers, in addition to an order restraining the respondents from “transacting, transferring, changing or howsoever dealing in any manner or interfering with the applicants’ possession” of the Ikoyi property.
The judge ordered AMCON and UBA to ensure service of substantive originating processes on the respondents within 20 days of the making of the order.
Justice Obiozor adjourned the case till September 2 for further hearing.
