A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has again ordered the interim forfeiture of the sum of $1.4m linked to the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
Justice Ayokunle Faji ordered the forfeiture of the money to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The judge also 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.
The court made the above orders while granting an ex parte application moved by the counsel to the EFCC, Bilikisu Buhari-Bala.
The money forfeited in the interim is said to be in Donatone Limited’s account and domiciled in Titan Bank Limited.
Justice Faji has adjourned the matter to June 25 for hearing of the final forfeiture of the money.
On May 23, Justice Yellim Bogoro of the same court had ordered an interim forfeiture of the sums of $4,719,054, N830,875,611, and several properties also linked to the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele.
At today’s proceedings, Mrs. Buhari-Bala told the court that the orders sought for are pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud-related Offences Act No. 14, 2006, and Section 44 (2)(B) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
She also said that the court had the statutory powers under the provisions of section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 to grant the reliefs being sought.
She said, “That the funds sought to be forfeited are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.”
