A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Wednesday granted an interim forfeiture of $1.4 million linked to the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
The money forfeited in the interim is said to be in Donatone Limited’s account and domiciled in Titan Trust Bank Limited.
Justice Ayokunle Faji gave the order while ruling on an ex parte application moved by the counsel to the EFCC, Bilikisu Buhari-Bala.
The judge ordered the forfeiture of the money to the Federal Government of Nigeria and ordered the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper for anyone interested in the money sought to be forfeited to appear before the court and show cause within 14 days why the final order of forfeiture of the said sum should not be made.
Mrs. Buhari-Bala had told the court that the motion ex parte was supported with an affidavit deposed to by David Jayeoba, an investigator at the EFCC.
In the affidavit, the deponent stated that the EFCC received credible and directed intelligence which led to the tracing of funds reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities warehoused in the Donatone Limited (DL) Titan Trust Bank account, which funds are reasonably suspected to be part of proceeds of unlawful activities.
The deponent stated that the EFCC whilst investigating the alleged fraud carried out by Emefiele and his cronies, discovered a huge amount of money warehoused and concealed in the account of Donatone Limited, domiciled in Titan Trust Bank.
He stated that investigation revealed that some of the brains behind the fraudulent concealment of funds reasonably suspected to have been proceeds of unlawful activities of Emefiele are the natural persons behind Donatone Limited, Uzeobo Anthony and Adebanjo Olurotimi, who are directors at Donatone Limited.
Justice Faji adjourned the matter to June 25 for hearing of the final forfeiture of the money.
Justice Yellim Bogoro of the same court earlier gave an interim forfeiture order of the sums of $4,719,054, N830,875,611, and several property also linked to Emefiele.
