CONFUSION: High court orders forfeiture of Patience Jonathan's $5.8m

According to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the former First Lady of Nigeria, Patience Jonathan has forfeited her $5.8m to the federal government.

Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of a Lagos Federal High Court, today, April 26, has granted a fresh ex-parte application directing the seizure of Patience Jonathan's money, according to the report.

Recalls that The Punch had reported yesterday, Tuesday, April 25 that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) pull of the plug on its application seeking a stay of the execution of an order by the court which unfroze her account in Skye Bank, housing a balance of $5.9m.

A attorney for the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo came before the same Federal High Court in Lagos which had unfroze same account on April 6 stating that the commission had back off in appealing the unfreezing order.

Oyedepo also told the Justice Olatoregun, the presiding judge that the agency was withdrawing its application seeking to stay the execution of the previous court order.

However, on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, the same court has order forfeiture of the same money in the same account that belong to the same Patience Jonathan to the government of Nigeria.

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Patience Jonathan gives reasons for withdrawing $100,000 cash from her account

*The immediate ex-President’s wife, Dame Patience Jonathan has given details on why she withdrew some $100,000 cash from her bank account recently

Former First Lady went to withdraw money from her unblocked account

*She however claimed that the money was meant for medical usage

The Former first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan gave reasons for why she went to the bank to withdraw about $100,000 from her released Skye Bank account of late.

Daily Trust reported that Dame Jonathan made the explanation via her lawyer, Barrister Charles Ogboli.

Patience Jonothan insisted that she never wanted to withdraw all the cash, however just to confirm the bank’s submission to the order of court.

Her Lawyer said: “She wanted to withdraw $5 million on Friday but unfortunately there was no funds and they (the bank) pleaded with her that she can withdraw $100,000 in order to comply with the order of court. They have complied fully with the order of court.

“Therefore the Notice of Appeal (by the EFCC) came late. The Notice and Stay of Execution is a mere application. And we are talking of court order.

“Appeal has not been entered yet; records have not been transferred from the lower court to the Court of Appeal. In the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, by mere fact that you have an appeal against a proceeding, it does not stop the trial from going on. That was what they were acting upon.

“Unfortunately for them, the order has been executed. Even when you move the motion it is an exercise in futility. So we are going to court to respond to whatever they filed. The issue is that she went to the bank and applied and account was debited with $100,000.”

The Barrister Charles Ogboli also stated that there were no issues experienced by the Patience Jonathan during the withdrawer from her account, maintaining that she was not under any pressure to pull out all the money.

Ogboli also said that the money was for her medical treatment.

He said: “Mrs Jonathan is a law-abiding citizens and she has not done anything which is ultra vires to the laws of the land.”

It was reported that Dame Patience Jonathan had on Monday, April 10, 2017, visited the Skye Bank Plc branch in Maitama area of Abuja to make some cash transactions on her recently released account on court order.

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