The Federal High Court in Abuja has frozen seven separate accounts which, according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), were used by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to launder the sum of N10billon said to be derived from the proceeds of the Paris Club refund.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole gave seven days to the account owners, if interested in seeking the setting aside of the freezing order, to file an application which must be served on the EFCC.
He also directed that the freezing order would last for 45 days within which the EFCC must either institute charges in respect of the transactions against the relevant suspects or apply to the court for an extension of the order.
EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Ben Ikani, had moved the ex parte application seeking the freezing of the accounts alleging that its preliminary investigation revealed that the N10bn was fraudulently diverted by the NGF from the refund of the over-deducted payment of Paris Club debt by the Federal Government from 1995 to 2002.
The frozen accounts are 0002184449 with Jaiz Bank Plc and operated by HAD Properties Limited; 0025600864 with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and operated by Hassan Ahmed Danbaba; as well as 0005892453 with Access Bank Plc and operated by Melrose General Services Coy.
They also include one Access Bank account, 0045824054 and another Zenith Bank Plc account 1010948906, both of which belong to Bina Consult and Integrated Services.
The rest are two Access Bank Plc accounts – 0700755576 and 0700946008 – belonging to Farouk Adamu Aliyu and Malam Alu Agro Allied Company Ltd., respectively.
Justifying the request for the freezing order, the Commission stated that although, the 72 hours stop-order allowed by law to be placed on any account suspected to be involved in suspicious transaction or any crime had expired, but investigation had yet to be concluded.
Thus, the court order freezing the accounts was needed to enable it to carry out its investigation to a logical conclusion.