A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of $2.04 million linked to the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele.
Ruling on Friday, Justice Isaac Dipeolu also ordered final forfeiture of landed property and share certificates of Queensdorf Global Fund Ltd Trust, all linked to Emefiele.
The court made the final orders of forfeiture after holding that the former CBN governor or any other interested party did not contest same after an earlier interim forfeiture order.
The court held that the respondent did not connect his lawful earnings from Zenith Bank and the CBN to the acquisition of the property.
In a motion on August 15, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) sought an order to forfeit the property because they were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
“I, therefore order the final forfeiture to the Federal Government of Nigeria, of all those properties, which are reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities,” said the judge.
The property are two fully detached duplexes of identical structures situated at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos; an undeveloped land, measuring 1919.592sqm at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive Ikoyi, Lagos; a bungalow at No. 65a Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos and a four-bedroom duplex at 12a Probyn Road, Ikoyi.
Others are an industrial complex under construction, 22 plots of land in Agbor, Delta State; eight units of an undetached apartment at No. 8a Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi; and a full duplex together with all its appurtenances on a plot of land at 2a Bank Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
