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| Dame Patience Jonathan |
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has frozen
Patience Jonathan’s personal account, titled ‘Patience Ibifaka Jonathan’, which
is domiciled in Skye Bank Plc.
Impeccable sources within the agency told our correspondent
on Wednesday that the move had become necessary due to the prima facie case established
against the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife.
As part of investigations into alleged diversion against a
former Special Adviser to ex-President Jonathan on Domestic Affairs,
Waripamowei Dudafa, the anti-graft agency had frozen four companies’ accounts
in Skye Bank with a balance of $15,591,700.
However, before the EFCC could arraign the four companies in
court, Jonathan’s wife deposed to an affidavit, claiming that the money
belonged to her.
Despite Patience’s claims, however, the EFCC arraigned the
four companies –Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited; Seagate Property
Development and Investment Company Limited; Trans Ocean Property and Investment
Company Limited; and Globus Integrated Service Limited.
The companies pleaded guilty and the EFCC had already begun
moves to ensure that the money is forfeited permanently to the Federal
Government.
A detective at the EFCC told The PUNCH, “Recall that we had
frozen the four companies’ accounts, which Patience Jonathan later laid claim
to. We have been able to establish that the money was part of proceeds of
crime.
“She had no evidence that the money in the four accounts
belonged to her. All she had were platinum debit cards, which she was using to
withdraw money and the cards are not evidence of ownership.
“Initially, we had traced $5m to her personal account, which
we did not touch but I can confirm to you now that the $5m account, bearing
Patience Jonathan’s name, has also been seized since she claimed that the
monies in the company accounts and the one in her personal name all emanated
from the same source.
“We are tracing other accounts belonging to Patience. It
will interest you to know that despite all the letters she has written, she has
never stated where she got the money from. She claimed to be a housewife and
yet she has $20m.”
Patience had recently written a letter to the acting
Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, where she claimed that she needed the
money for her medical treatment abroad.
She had also sued Skye Bank for N200m, accusing the bank of
freezing her accounts unjustly.
In a letter written by her lawyers, Granville Abibo (SAN)
and Co, Patience said, “It is noteworthy to emphasise that the said accounts,
which were in US dollar denomination, were card-based accounts and our client
is the sole signatory of these accounts.
“The said bank officials also assured our client that they
will change the account names accordingly and issue to our client new credit
cards for the said accounts which was not done despite repeated demands.
“However, our client has been operating the said accounts
using the cards for her medical bill payments and purchases for her private
purposes without any let or hindrance.
“Our client was therefore surprised when the said cards
stopped functioning on July 7, 2016 or thereabout. Our client immediately
thereupon contacted Skye Bank Plc through our solicitors. It was only then that
the bank officials informed our client that the said accounts were placed on a
‘No Debit Order’ following investigations and instructions from your commission
and this is without notice to our client by either the bank or the commission.
“It is in the light of the foregoing that we urge you to use
your good offices to vacate the ‘No Debit/Freezing Order’ placed on the said
accounts.”
credit: PUNCH
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