NEWS Patience Jonathan appeals forfeiture order on $5.9m

Wife of ex- President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, has approached the
Court of Appeal , seeking to reverse the order of the Federal High
Court freezing her Skye Bank account with a balance of $ 5 . 9 m .
Following an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission on April 26 , 2017 , Justice Mojisola Olatoregun had made
an interim order freezing Patience' s account .
The judge ordered the EFCC to publish the freezing order in a national
daily and adjourned till May 15 for any interested party to appear
before her to give reasons why the money should not be permanently
forfeited to the Federal Government .
At the resumed proceedings in the case on Monday , Patience 's lawyer,
Mr Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), said her client had not been given
sufficient notice of the case to enable her respond, pointing out that
the EFCC only published the freezing order May 11 .
He added that his client had also gone on appeal to challenge the
freezing order and had also filed an application praying that further
proceedings in the case should be suspended until the outcome of the
appeal.
But the EFCC lawyer, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, insisted that the business of
the day was for anyone who had objection to the forfeiture order to
appear in court to give reasons why the money should not be
permanently forfeited .
He urged the judge to ignore Adedipe's submission, saying it was not
in consonance with the business of the day.
Responding to the counsel , the judge noted that the forfeiture order
was published too late and said she would adjourn the matter to avail
interested parties adequate time to appear before her to show reasons
why the money should not be permanently forfeited .
She consequently adjourned till May 22 , 2017.
The EFFC had while obtaining the freezing order told the judge that
the $ 5 . 9 m found in Patience' s account was suspected proceeds of
crime.
Apart from the Skye Bank account with $ 5 . 9 m , the EFCC also
obtained a freezing order in respect of an Ecobank account with a
balance of N 2 . 4 bn which was opened in the name of one La Wari
Furniture and Bath Limited .
In an affidavit filed in support of the new application , an operative
of the EFCC, Musbahu Abubakar, stated that Patience opened the Skye
Bank account on February 7 , 2013 and used it to allegedly warehouse
proceeds of crime .
According to Abubakar , Patience made several cash deposits in United
States' dollars into the account through a former Special Assistant to
ex- President Jonathan, Waripamo-Owei Dudafa , and a State House
steward , Festus Iyoha .
He said as of January 30 , 2015 , the Skye Bank account had a balance
of $ 6 . 7 m but Patience subsequently withdrew it down to $ 5 . 7 m .
The EFCC prayed the court to urgently freeze the account so as to
prevent Patience from moving the funds.