High profile corruption: Patience Jonathan & the $15.6m proceeds of crime
Plus… Auwal Ibrahim, Wali Muktar Usman and Architect Yunusa Yakubu’s N623 million fraud
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In our review of high-profile corruption trials today, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of the Federal High Court in Lagos, on Monday, July 1, 2019, ordered the permanent forfeiture of the sums of N9.2 billion and $8.4 million recovered from Nigeria’s former first lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, to the federal government.
Also, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on 15th May, 2017, arraigned the trio of Auwal Ibrahim, Wali Muktar Usman and Architect Yunusa Yakubu, on a 17-count charge bordering on conspiracy, contract scam, abuse of office and diversion of public funds to the tune of N623 million.
Read on:
Patience Jonathan and the $15,591,700 proceeds of crime
The Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday July 1, 2019, ordered the permanent forfeiture of the sums of N9.2 million and $8.4 million recovered from Nigeria’s ex-first lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan.
Justice Mojisola Olatoregun ordered that the funds should be forfeited to the federal government.
The judgment followed an application by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that the funds were proceeds of crime.
Meanwhile, four firms immediately appealed against the judgment.
The four firms — Finchley Top Homes Limited; AM PM Global Network; Pagmat Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited; and Magel Resort Limited, prayed to the Court of Appeal to reverse the forfeiture order.
The matter is pending before the court.
Earlier, EFCC had filed a 15-count charge against the companies and Dudafa, Amajuoyi Briggs, a lawyer; and Damola Bolodeoku, a Skye Bank (now Polaris Bank) official.
After the charges were read to the accused, the first, second and third accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Meanwhile, the four individuals representing the companies listed in the charge pleaded guilty to the offences.
Four companies linked to the alleged money laundering case involving Patience Jonathan, wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, pleaded guilty to the offence.
The companies – Seagate Property Development & Investment Co. Limited; Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited; Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited and Development Company Limited, pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder $15 million.
Directors of the companies are domestic workers of Waripamowei Dudafa, Jonathan’s Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs.
Patience had allegedly directed him to use the money to open accounts for her in Skye Bank (now Polaris Bank).
Following the guilty plea of the companies, the EFCC prosecution led by Rotimi Oyedepo prayed the court to allow a short time for review of the facts, adding that he would not waste the time of the court.
Babs Kuewumi, the trial judge, however, declined prosecution’s request and said he would adjourn the matter to a future date.
Patience later admitted ownership of the money, saying it was meant for her foreign medical bills and other private expenses.
In a letter which her lawyers wrote to the anti-graft agency, the former first lady said she was the sole signatory to the accounts.
The EFCC had frozen the accounts, saying it found that “this was a clear case of fraud.”
Auwal Ibrahim’s N623 million fraud
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on 15 May 2017, arraigned the trio of Messrs Auwal Ibrahim, Principal Accountant, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Abuja; Wali Muktar Usman, Director of Works, Federal College of Education, Gombe and Architect Yunusa Yakubu and his company Lubell Nigeria Limited and Archfirst Nigeria limited before Justice Sa’ad Muhammad of the Gombe State High Court on a 17-count charge bordering on conspiracy, contract scam, abuse of office and diversion of public funds.
The accused persons allegedly abused their positions by awarding inflated TETFund contracts to companies in which they had interest or which belonged to their cronies, and receiving gratification from contractors.
Ibrahim, the 1st accused allegedly received various sums of money as gratification from Yakubu for contract awarded to his company, Lubell Nigeria Limited, in Gombe State University.
Usman, the present Director of Works, Federal College of Education, Gombe, is the sole signatory and promoter of Archfirst Nigeria Limited, a clear violation of public service regulation which forbids ownership of private businesses by serving public officers.
A number of transactions by the accused persons were also traced to the accounts of Murtala Salisu, the Acting Director of Works of Gombe State University in different banks.
The accused persons allegedly abused their positions by awarding inflated Tetfund contracts to companies in which they had interest or which belong to their cronies, and receiving gratification from contractors.
Ibrahim, the 1st accused allegedly received various sums of money as gratification from Yakubu for contract awarded to his company Lubell Nigeria Limited in Gombe State University.
Usman the present director of works Federal College of Education Gombe is the sole signatory and promoter of Archfirst Nigeria Limited, a clear violation of public service regulation which forbids ownership of private businesses by serving public officers.
A number of transactions by the accused persons were also traced to the accounts of Murtala Salisu, the Ag director works of Gombe State University in different banks.
Count three of the charge reads: “That you, Auwal Ibrahim, being a public officer working at TETFund in such capacity sometime in February 2015, on account of TETFund contract, funded by your office and executed by Lubell Nigeria Limited at Gombe State University in Gombe, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did received for yourself monetary benefit of =N=143, 122, 174.02 (One Hundred and Forty Three Million, One Hundred and Twenty Two Thousand, One Hundred and Seventy Four Naira, Two Kobo) through First Bank Account No.2026950260 belonging to Double Espresso Ltd, a limited liability company which you have interest therein from the said Lubell Nigeria Ltd (contactor) thereby committed an offence contrary to and Punishable under Section 10 (i)(ii) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000”.
They pleaded not guilty to all the charges read to them. In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel Abubakar Aliyu applied for a date for trial.
While adjourning the case to 20 June, 2017 for trial, Justice Muhammed also granted bail to all the accused persons in the sum of N10m each and two sureties in like sums.
The sureties must have landed property with Certificate of Occupancy within the jurisdiction of the court.
Trials commenced since 2017.
Read also:
High Profile Corruption: Theodore Orji, Bank Officials In Multibillion Naira Racketeering
[This Publication is based on a compendium by Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) covering corruption cases as at 22nd of November, 2019.
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