A High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture to the Nigerian Government, the sum of $1.4 million, linked to a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Ayokunle Faji gave the order after hearing an application filed and argued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This order is coming days after another judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, ordered the final forfeiture of over N12.18 billion in money and properties linked to the former apex bank chief.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, counsel to the EFCC, Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, urged Justice Faji to grant the final forfeiture order of the money, domiciled in an account number in Titan Trust Limited, to the government.
The EFCC counsel told the court that the application is pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud-related Offences Act No. 14 2006, and section 44 (2)(B) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Buhari-Bala also told the court that the application for the final forfeiture of the said sum has been established to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The applicant was supported by an affidavit that claimed that the EFCC received credible and direct intelligence which led to the tracing of funds reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities, domiciled in the Donatone Limited (DL) Titan Trust Bank account/
The deponent also stated that part of the said funds, which represent the proceeds of Godwin Emefiele and his cronies’ unlawful activities, are retained in the accounts now sought to be forfeited.
“That Uzeobo Anthony and Adebanjo Olurotimi were procured by Godwin Emefiele to conceal, retain, and disguise funds reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
“That both Uzeobo Anthony and Adebanjo Olurotimi used to collect bribes and gratification on behalf of (GE) to get approval for accessing Forex. And that one of the entities paid a total sum of twenty-six million five hundred and fifty-give thousand million Dollars ($26,552,000.00) into the account of (DL) domiciled in Titan Trust account number 2000000500.
“The said credits came into the account on the 9th of November 2021: $6,450,000; 15th of November 2021: $6,050,000.00; 16th of December 2021: $5,400,000.00; 23rd of December 2021: $652,000, 31th January 2022: $3,000,000.00 and on the 21st September 2022: $5,000,000.00. Find attached and marked EFCC 1 the Titan Trust bank account of Donatus Limited evidencing the inflows.
“The investigation traced the funds to having been fixed into interest-yielding accounts, dissipated and laundered through a foreign account in Mauritius, and transported back to Nigeria under disguise.
In ordering the final forfeiture of the money after listening to the submission of the EFCC lawyer, the court held that: “having been satisfied with the application and submission of Counsel, I hereby granted the prayer finally forfeiting the said funds in question.”