N155M Found in My Account Not Stolen- Patience Jonathan’s Sister
Esther Oba, the younger sister to former First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan, has told the Federal High Court in Lagos that $429,381.87 (about N154,570,427.34) found in her bank account were donations and estacodes she earned while serving as a presidential aide.
Testifying in a forfeiture proceeding before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, Oba said the funds were not proceeds of crime.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is praying the court to order the final forfeiture of $8.4 million and N7.4 billion belonging to Mrs Jonathan.
Justice Olatoregun had directed parties to give oral evidence to explain the money’s ownership.
She ordered the funds’ temporary forfeiture to the Federal Government last April 20.
Mrs. Jonathan, Globus Integrated Services Limited, Finchley Top Homes Limited, Am-Pm Global Network Limited, Pagmat Oil and Gas Limited, Magel Resort Limited and Oba are the respondents.
Among the temporarily forfeited sums are N1.085 billion and N226.3 million found in Finchley’s Ecobank account and N39.4 million found in its Diamond Bank account, as well as N55.9 million found in Pagmat Oil and Gas’ Diamond Bank account.
EFCC said the money is “reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity”.
Also temporarily forfeited is $429,381.87 found in Oba’s Skye Bank account, which EFCC said is suspected to be “proceeds of unlawful activity.”
EFCC said the respondents were not into “any legitimate income-yielding business venture” to enable them earn such amounts.
The commission alleged that the firms were incorporated for the purpose of warehousing proceeds of unlawful activities for the former First Lady.
“The depositors into this account are domestic workers of State House in Abuja who were procured by the Dudafa Waripamo-Owei to deposit the funds sought to be forfeited in a bid to conceal the true origin of the funds,” the commission said.
Testifying at the hearing on Friday, Oba said she served as Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan on Household Administration.
The witness said the money in her account sought to be forfeited was accumulated estacodes she earned as well as donations made when she lost her mother.
“The account is mine and the money in it is mine,” she said.
Asked by her lawyer Ige Asemudara how she earned the money, she said: “When I worked with the former President from 2007 to 2015, they gave us estacodes whenever we traveled abroad.
“Also, when my mother died, I got a lot of gifts. My sister (Mrs Jonathan) introduced me to her friends and they gave me cash gifts and others.
“Thirdly, when I had my first child after 14 years of marriage without a child, I got a lot of gifts. Some were hard currencies, land, cars, anything anyone can give as a gift.”
Oba said former EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Lamorde advised her and her sister to open card accounts to save their dollar gifts rather than keep them at home in the State House.
She adjourned till June 27 for judgment.
Judgment will be delivered in the case on June 24th.
Testifying in a forfeiture proceeding before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, Oba said the funds were not proceeds of crime.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is praying the court to order the final forfeiture of $8.4 million and N7.4 billion belonging to Mrs Jonathan.
Justice Olatoregun had directed parties to give oral evidence to explain the money’s ownership.
She ordered the funds’ temporary forfeiture to the Federal Government last April 20.
Mrs. Jonathan, Globus Integrated Services Limited, Finchley Top Homes Limited, Am-Pm Global Network Limited, Pagmat Oil and Gas Limited, Magel Resort Limited and Oba are the respondents.
Among the temporarily forfeited sums are N1.085 billion and N226.3 million found in Finchley’s Ecobank account and N39.4 million found in its Diamond Bank account, as well as N55.9 million found in Pagmat Oil and Gas’ Diamond Bank account.
EFCC said the money is “reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity”.
Also temporarily forfeited is $429,381.87 found in Oba’s Skye Bank account, which EFCC said is suspected to be “proceeds of unlawful activity.”
EFCC said the respondents were not into “any legitimate income-yielding business venture” to enable them earn such amounts.
The commission alleged that the firms were incorporated for the purpose of warehousing proceeds of unlawful activities for the former First Lady.
“The depositors into this account are domestic workers of State House in Abuja who were procured by the Dudafa Waripamo-Owei to deposit the funds sought to be forfeited in a bid to conceal the true origin of the funds,” the commission said.
Testifying at the hearing on Friday, Oba said she served as Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan on Household Administration.
The witness said the money in her account sought to be forfeited was accumulated estacodes she earned as well as donations made when she lost her mother.
“The account is mine and the money in it is mine,” she said.
Asked by her lawyer Ige Asemudara how she earned the money, she said: “When I worked with the former President from 2007 to 2015, they gave us estacodes whenever we traveled abroad.
“Also, when my mother died, I got a lot of gifts. My sister (Mrs Jonathan) introduced me to her friends and they gave me cash gifts and others.
“Thirdly, when I had my first child after 14 years of marriage without a child, I got a lot of gifts. Some were hard currencies, land, cars, anything anyone can give as a gift.”
Oba said former EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Lamorde advised her and her sister to open card accounts to save their dollar gifts rather than keep them at home in the State House.
She adjourned till June 27 for judgment.
Judgment will be delivered in the case on June 24th.
Posted in Nigeria News
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