Court orders final forfeiture of $2.04m linked to Emefiele

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday, ordered a final forfeiture of 2.04 million dollars, linked to former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele.

Justice Isaac Dipeolu also ordered final forfeiture of landed properties as well as 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 was not able to connect his lawful earnings from Zenith bank and the CBN, to acquisition of the properties.

Tthe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) had by a motion on Aug. 15, sought an order to forfeit the properties on grounds that they were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities

Oyedepo had added that the orders sought were pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, Section 44 (2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the court’s inherent jurisdiction.

The court had granted the interim order of forfeiture on the properties and had adjourned for any interested party to appear in court and show cause.

In its ruling on Friday, the court held that the respondent failed to provide documents or links to show that he owned the properties.

The court held that the conclusion that can be deduced is that there must be something dark about acquisition of the properties, which the respondent and the companies do not want to come to light.

The judge consequently, held that “the interested party has failed to demonstrate any lawful interest in the properties and that they were aquired from his legitimate earnings”.

“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”.

The properties are: two fully detached duplexes of identical structures, lying being and 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.

NAN