.Ex-First Lady to Access Her Money
By Chinyere Aruogu
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday asked the court to stay execution on an earlier order made by the court which had unfrozen the Skye Bank account of the former first lady, Patience Jonathan with a balance of about $5.9m.
On Tuesday, April 25, a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, presided over by Justice Mojisola Olatoregun yielded to the application filed by the EFCC paving the way for Mrs. Jonathan to access her money.
Counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo informed the court that the anti-graft agency was no longer interested in appealing the order to unfrozen the account.
The EFCC counsel also informed Justice Olatoregun that the anti-graft agency was withdrawing its application seeking to stay the execution of the order.
Counsel to Mrs. Jonathan, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), had told the court that he was served with the notice of application by the EFCC on the withdrawal for stay of proceedings.
He therefore told the court he would withdraw the Forms 48 and Form 49 he had earlier filed to compel the court to sanction Skye Bank for contempt of court for refusing Patience access to her account in spite of the order of the court.
Recently, Justice Olatoregun issued an order, unfreezing the Skye bank account of Mrs. Jonathan, which had $5,842,316.66 in it but the EFCC opposed it and threatened to appeal the ruling.
The judge’s directive was based on an application instituted by Adedipe who had urged the court to unfreeze the said account on the reason that Mrs. Jonathan was not a party in the suit which culminated in the order being made where her account was seized.