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Lagos court orders interim forfeiture of Patience Jonathan’s $5.8m
Mojisola Olatoregun, a judge of a federal high court in Lagos, on Wednesday granted a fresh ex parte application ordering the forfeiture of 5.9 million dollars belonging to Patience Jonathan, former first lady.
The judge’s order comes less than 24 hours after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) withdrew an application seeking to stop her from having access to the money, which is in Skye Bank.
In December 2016, Olatoregun had ordered that the account be frozen, but on April 6, she directed that the account be unfrozen.
Subsequently, Jonathan tried to withdraw some money from the account, but she was not allowed to do so owing to a stay of execution application filed by the EFCC.
Though one of her lawyers later said she withdrew $100, 000.
On Tuesday, Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the EFCC, told the court that he was withdrawing the application.
He said the anti-graft agency had decided not appeal against the order unfreezing the account.
In return, Ifedayo Adedipe, counsel to Jonathan, withdrew a contempt application against Skye Bank, which had declined allowing the former first lady access to her account.
The judge then granted the requests for the withdrawal of the applications.
