Nelson A.Osuala [20th September 2016]
The immediate step aside first lady of the Federal Republic, Patience Jonathan, has threatened to file a 5 billion Naira suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) if the latter fails to lift the embargo on her accounts with Skye Bank within 14 working days.
Laying credence to our source, Mrs. Jonathan’s threat was contained in an open letter, addressed to the Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu issued by her attorneys, First Law Solicitors and signed by its Senior Partner, Timipa Jenkins Okponipere.
In the letter, She made a bold claim that the action of the anti-graft body freezing her account were illicit, malicious, suspicious and unwarranted.
She contended that the freezing of her accounts was a gross violation of her fundamental rights as provided in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The erstwhile first lady, said she would not hesitate to take legal action against the EFCC at the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights in Gambia, if the anti-graft commission continues to bar her access to the accounts in the next 14 days.
An excerpt of the letter as culled from the Nation reads:
“Sir, it is our client’s brief that there is no formal criminal complaint of economic and financial crime as defined by the EFCC Act 2004 written by any person or institution against her which warranted the EFCC to freeze her accounts.
It is also our client’s brief that the EFCC failed to obtain a court order as required by Section 34 of the EFCC Act before her accounts were frozen.
“It is our client’s further brief that, up until the writing of this open letter, she has not received any formal invitation to appear before the commission for questioning; whereas her accounts domiciled with Skye Bank Plc have since been frozen by the commission without recourse to her.
“We are very much aware of numerous instances where EFCC used strong-arm tactics to dispossess hard working Nigerians of their legitimately earned money; only to turn around to brazenly and shamelessly loot the recovered loot. This is one of such unfortunate instances.
Clearly, it is a failed politically-motivated attempt by the EFCC to steal our client’s money using the cover of the present political climate.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it shall be counter-productive and inimical to the public interest if the Attorney General of the Federation and/or the EFCC heeded the irresponsible calls to commence the arrest and prosecution of our client based on suspicion.
If they did otherwise, they shall be violating the extant provision of Section 174(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which clearly prohibits criminal proceedings that were not in the public interest. Besides, suspicion; no matter how strong it may seem; cannot ground a conviction.”
No doubt, the storm is gathering! This is no doubt a “Clash of the Titans” Tell us your take on this matter.
Nelson A. Osuala
Is a Blogger & the Associate Editor of Negroidhaven.org
(Negroidhaven)