The Executive Director, Public Sector Accountant, First Bank of Nigeria, Mr Dauda Lawal, has challenged the temporary forfeiture of a sum of $153m linked with former Minster of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, to the Federal Government.
Lawal, through his lawyer, Mr Charles Adeogun, appeared before the Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday armed with a counter-affidavit, seeking to take possession of $40m (N9.08bn), out of the temporarily forfeited $153m.
He claimed that though he received $25m out of the money for certain services he rendered, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested him and forced him undertake to return $65m.
The anti-graft agency had subsequently taken possession of the $40m in draft and registered it as exhibit EFCC 03.
EFCC had claimed that Diezani siphoned $153m out of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and stashed it in three banks in the country.
The anti-graft agency claimed that a former Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo, who helped Diezani to take delivery of the money, kept $40m with Lawal in order to conceal the source.
It was further claimed by the EFCC that $113,310,000 out of the $153m was kept with the Executive Director, Commercial and Institutional Bank, Sterling Bank Plc, Mr Lanre Adesanya; while $5m was kept with the MD of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Herbert Wigwe.
On January 6, the EFCC had approached Justice Muslim Hassan and obtained an interim order, directing that the funds be temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government.
The court gave the order and also issued 14 days to any interested party to appear and prove the legitimacy of the monies, failing which the funds would be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
It has now fixed February 16 to deliver judgment.
