The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday, April 30, 2018, ordered an interim forfeiture of two properties linked to Patience Jonathan, the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
In a Ruling on an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nnamdi Dimgba, the trial judge, dismissed Mrs. Jonathan’s objection to the application for lacking in merit. Justice Dimgba also ruled that the order will only last for 45 days.
He added that within the 45 days, The EFCC must conclude its investigations and charge the suspects being investigated in respect of the alleged crimes linked to properties. He, however, added that the EFCC was at liberty to file an application for the extension of the lifespan of the order before the expiration of the initial 45 days.
He also ordered that if for any reason EFCC’s officials needed to access the properties within the period of interim forfeiture, they must do so with the respondents in attendance. He also ordered that the inventory of the fixtures in the properties and a report must be submitted to the court.
The properties located in Abuja are said to be held in the name of Ariwabai Aruera Reachout Foundation, which Mrs. Jonathan is said to be one of its “trustees.”
The EFCC had, in an ex parte application filed in September last year, asked for an interim forfeiture of the properties, which it claimed were subjects of an ongoing criminal investigation.
