Why Court Froze Patience Jonathan’s multiple accounts

A Federal high court yesterday in Lagos made a fresh order freezing multiple accounts suspected to be owned by Dame Patience Jonathan and also suspected to be proceeds of crime. One of the accounts which bears the former First Lady’s name contains the $5,316.66. The court said it should be frozen on the ground that the money is suspected to be proceeds of crime.

Also affected by the said order are the accounts of five companies which are having 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).



EFCC boss Magu and Patience Jonathan
The order of the court was sequel to a further and better affidavit in support of Ex-parte originating summons sworn to by Abdullahi Tukur, an investigating officer of the Economic and Financial crime Commission (EFCC) and filed before the court by EFCC prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo Iseoluwa, Mr Tukur averred that there was urgent need for the court to direct the managers of the bank accounts contained in the schedule filed with the summons to, in the interim, forfeit the money contained therein to prevent further tampering with the account being sought to be attached. According to the summons, Dame Patience Jonathan’s money in one bank account with current balance of $5,842,316.66 was reasonably suspected to be proceed of crime. Five companies Finchley Top Homes Limited, Aribawa Aruera,Magel resort Limited, AM -PM Global network Limited Pansy Oil and Gas Limited and Esther Oba are also affected Finchley Top Homes Limited opened account domiciled with another bank with a current balance of N226,376,700.23 and a fixed deposit with balance of N1,099,511,484.88. Finchley Top Homes Limited also opened account domiciled with a bank with current balance of N14,173,848.85. The same company also operates account with current balance of N1,800,494,000.00 and another account with current balance of N40,594,12.88. Another company affected by the order of the court is Aribawa Aruera Reachout Foundation. It opened account with closing balance of N479,893,431.01 AM-PM Global Network Limited opened account with balance of N7,213,303.50; Pagmat oil and Gas Limited has account with current balance of N1,809,666,494.68 and another account with balance of N55,930,024.50. Esther Oba has account with current balance of $429,381.87 . All the monies were suspected to be proceeds of crime. Consequently upon the receipt of intelligent report, EFCC analyzed it and found it to be worthy of investigation. Therefore, Mr Tukur averred that it will serve the course of justice to grant this application. Justice Mojisola Olatoregun while granting the order freezing the accounts ordered the anti -graft agency to file undertaking as to damages if it turned out that the order was not to have been made. Patience Jonathan, before yesterday’s order has been battling the EFCC to have the $15million dollar accounts earlier linked to her, unfrozen.