*Judge
refuses to unfreeze accounts
The Federal
High Court in Lagos on Monday refused to grant Mrs. Patience Jonathan’s request
to release the controversial accounts holding $15.591million.
Justice
Mohammed Idris said she and others must give oral evidence on the money’s
ownership.
Mrs.
Jonathan will, therefore, be required to appear in court to give evidence on
how she came about the money, which the EFCC described as a “proceed of crime”.
Since the
case was filed, Mrs. Jonathan has never attended the proceedings. She has
always been represented by lawyers.
She sued the
EFCC for placing a no-debit order on the Skye Bank Plc accounts.
Justice
Idris ordered parties to file pleadings since issues were joined on the money’s
ownership.
The judge
said the defendants formulated issues that were different from the one
formulated by Mrs. Jonathan in her originating summons, which he said was
“unacceptable”.
Besides, he
said the nature of the case is not one to be decided by originating summons
procedure in which witnesses are not called to testify.
The judge
rules: “The issues formulated by all the defendants are baseless. They go to no
issue and will be ignored by the court.
“I hold that
this court lacks the competence to determine the issues raised by the
defendants in their written addresses, having abandoned the specific issues
formulated by the plaintiff in the originating summons.
“It is
unfortunate. I say this because the issues raised by the defendants appear on
the face of it good and deserving to be considered on their merit.
“But, I as I
understand it to be the law, sentiment has no basis in the adjudicatory
system.”
Recall that
5 companies, through their representatives, had pleaded guilty to laundering
the money last September 15, when they were arraigned before Justice Babs
Kuewumi of the same court.
They were
charged with Dudafa, Briggs, a banker, Adedamola Bolodeoku for money
laundering.
EFCC has
insisted that the money is a proceed of crime and should be forfeited to
Nigeria.
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