The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission has traced an
additional $5m to the Skye Bank
account of Dame Patience Jonathan,
the wife of former President
Goodluck Jonathan.
This brings to $20m the total
amount so far traced to the former
first lady.
As part of investigations into a
money laundering case against a
former Special Adviser on Domestic
Affairs to ex-President Jonathan,
Waripamowei Dudafa, the EFCC
had traced four company accounts
to him with a balance of $15m.
The EFCC subsequently charged
Dudafa and the four companies
with money laundering.
The four companies, whose
accounts have since been frozen,
are 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.
A source at the EFCC said, “While
we were investigating Dudafa, we
traced the four companies to him.
The companies have domiciliary
accounts at Skye Bank with a
balance of about $15m. So, we
obtained a court order and froze
the accounts.
“We then traced the directors of
the companies who then denied
ownership of the accounts. It was
later that we were informed that
the accounts belonged to Patience
Jonathan and that she is the sole
signatory to the accounts. She was
given a special card which she used
in making withdrawals across the
world.
“We, therefore, wondered why the
accounts were not opened in her
name if she had nothing to hide. In
fact, we later found out that her
personal account, which bears her
name, has a balance of $5m. One
wonders where a person, who has
never held a government position,
got the money from. She was not
our initial target but she certainly
has questions to answer.”
Jonathan’s wife has, however, sued
Skye Bank for freezing her bank
accounts and giving the EFCC vital
information about her finances.
Patience filed a N200m
fundamental rights enforcement
suit against Skye Bank Plc.
One Sammie Somiari, who deposed
to an affidavit on behalf of
Patience, claimed that the EFCC
placed a No Debit Order on the
four accounts in July, in the course
of probing Dudafa.
The EFCC has now filed an
amended 17 counts against Dudafa
and seven others, including the
four companies, wherein the
suspects were accused of conspiring
to conceal $15,591,700, which the
EFCC claimed they ought to have
known formed part of proceeds of
an unlawful act.
Somiari said in the affidavit filed
on behalf of Patience, who is said
to be away for an urgent medical
treatment abroad, that it was
Dudafa who helped Patience open
the four bank accounts which the
EFCC froze.
In her fundamental rights suit,
Patience is urging the court to
compel the EFCC to immediately
remove the No Debit Order placed
on her accounts.
She also wants the court to order
Skye Bank to pay her damages in
the sum of N200m for what she
termed a violation of her right to
own personal property under
Section 44 of the Constitution.
However, the EFCC is in moves to
arraign Dudafa and his alleged
accomplices for money laundering
before a Federal High Court in
Lagos.
Further proceedings in the case has
been adjourned until September
15.
Punch
