EFCC tells court Patience Jonathan continued receiving salary for 7 months after retirement

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday accused Dame Patience Jonathan, wife of former president Goodluck Jonathan, of receiving N700,000 monthly salary seven months after retiring as a civil servant.

According to the EFCC, the former First Lady, who effectively retired on October 14, 2014, as a Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa, continued to receive salary until May 2015, when her husband left office.

This was revealed during the hearing of a forfeiture case EFCC brought against Mrs Jonathan at the Federal High Court in Lagos.

EFCC prayed the court to order the final forfeiture of $8.4 million and N7.4 billion allegedly belonging to her.

READ ALSO: Saraki reacts as EFCC seals off his houses in Lagos

The court had on April 20 ordered the temporary forfeiture of the funds to the Federal Government.

However, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun on Monday, declined the EFCC’s application for final forfeiture but directed parties to give oral evidence to justify ownership.

According to the judge, there were conflicting depositions in the affidavits before her.

She added that oral evidence was needed to clear them up.

Mrs. Jonathan, Globus Integrated Services Ltd, Finchley Top Homes Ltd., Am-Pm Global Network Ltd, Pagmat Oil and Gas Ltd, Magel Resort Ltd and Esther Oba are the respondents.

Among the temporarily forfeited sums are N1.085billion and N226.3million found in Finchley’s Ecobank account and N39.4million found in its Diamond Bank account, as well as N55.9million found in Pagmat Oil and Gas’ Diamond Bank account, among others.

Mrs. Jonathan’s lawyers, including Chief Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN) and Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), had argued that the funds included donations and legitimate earnings by the companies linked to her.

But, EFCC said the money was “reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity”.

Further hearing in the matter has been adjourned to May 24, 2019 at 11am.

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