The wife of former
President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience Jonathan, has urged the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to lift the restriction
on her $15m accounts, which was frozen in four companies’ accounts by
the anti-graft agency.
She claimed that she uses the account to settle medical bills outside the country.
Patience disclosed this in a letter (reference
number GA/Abibo/00226/2016) written by her lawyers, Granville Abibo
(SAN) and Co, which was addressed to the Acting Chairman of the EFCC,
Mr. Ibrahim Magu.
The letter read in part, “It is noteworthy to
emphasise that the said accounts, which were in US dollar denomination,
were card-based accounts and our client is the sole signatory to these
accounts.
“However, our client has been operating the said
accounts using the cards for her medical bill payments and purchases for
her private purposes without any let or hindrance.
“Our client was therefore surprised when the said
cards stop functioning on July 7, 2016, or thereabout. Our client
immediately, thereupon, contacted Skye Bank Plc through our solicitors.
‘‘It was only then that the bank officials informed
our client that the said accounts were placed on a ‘No Debit Order’
following investigations and instruction from your commission and this
is without notice to our client by either the bank or the commission.
“It is in the light of the foregoing that we urge
you to use your good offices to vacate the ‘No Debit/Freezing Order’
placed on the said accounts.”
“Despite the foregoing, our client, who is a
law-abiding citizen, has watched with surprise how efforts are being
made surreptitiously to indirectly harass or harangue her and
short-change her of her personal funds in breach of her fundamental
human rights.
“We urge you sir, to kindly intervene to stop the
untoward and wrongful actions of your officials to embarrass,
inconvenience and short-change our client.”
DailyTrust had reported
that the former First Lady filed a N200m fundamental rights enforcement
suit against Skye Bank Plc, following the freezing of four bank
accounts, which she claims the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) has used to inconvenience and embarrass her.
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