The Federal High Court Lagos has frozen all the bank accounts of former First Lady Patience Jonathan suspected to be proceeds from crime.
One of the accounts has a balance of $5,316.66.
The presiding judge, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, while granting the order freezing the accounts ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to file an undertaking in relation to damages payable by it if it turns out that the order should not have been made.
This is sequel to a further affidavit in support of ex-parte originating summons sworn to by Mr. Abdulahi Tukur, an EFCC operative and filed before the court by EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo requesting the court to urgently 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 in the accounts, to prevent further tampering with such.
Also affected by the order are five companies which are Finchley Top Homes Limited, Aribawa Aruera, Magel Resort Limited, AM -PM Global Network Limited Pansy Oil and Gas Limited.
Finchley Top Homes Limited is alleged to have fraudulently opened a bank account with a current balance of N226,376,700.23 and a fixed deposit with a balance of N1,099,511,484.88.
The company also fraudulently opened other accounts.
These accounts are with various current balances of N14,173,848.85; N1,800,494,000; N40,594,12.88; and N39,418,712.12.
Aribawa Aruera Reachout Foundation opened an account and has a closing balance of N479,893,431.01; while Magel Resort Limited accounts have subsisting balances of N1,000,494,000.
The company also operates two other accounts which have balances of N858,923,982, and N174,166,207.00.
AM-PM Global Network Limited opened an account that has a balance of N7,213,303.50.
The account opened by Pansy Oil and Gas Limited has a current balance of N1,809,666,494.68 and another has a balance of N55,930,024.50.
Also affected is one Esther Oba.
Esther Oba has a balance of $429,381.87 in her account while the companies collectively have balances totaling N7,418,829,290.94 (seven billion four hundred and eighteen million eight hundred and twenty nine thousand two hundred and ninety naira ninety four kobo) in six commercial banks.
Esther Oba was found to have opened an account with a current balance of $429,381.87.
The EFCC said it carried out analyses after receiving an intelligence report, which showed that the accounts ought to be investigated.
As such, Mr. Tukur averred that it would serve the course of justice to grant the application for such. – The News.
