Patience Jonathan faces jail as ‘her’ companies plead guilty to money laundering

Buhari’s anti-corruption war may have caught its biggest fish so far as four companies linked to Nigeria’s former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, on Thursday pleaded guilty to money laundering charges.

The four companies which were indicted alongside a former Special Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on Domestic Affairs, Waripamo Dudafa, at the hearing of the matter on Thursday at a Lagos Federal High Court, all pleaded guilty to conspiring with the former President’s aide and two others to launder the sum of $15, 591,700.

Ripples Nigeria had on Wednesday reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) claimed that it has established a prima facie case of money laundering against Mrs Jonathan and 10 others.

The commission had also claimed that its preliminary investigation indicted Mrs Patience Jonathan and 10 other suspects who are a former Senior Special Assistant (Domestic/Household and Social Events to the former President), Dr Dudafa Waripamo-Owei Emmanuel; Damola Bolodeoku; Dipo Oshodi; Theodora Varinik; Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited.

Others are Seagate Property Development and Investment Limited; Globus Integrated Services Limited; Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited and Skye Bank Plc. Sompre Omiebi, the 10th suspect, is supposedly on the run.

EFCC even released figures on how the funds were allegedly laundered.

Former President Jonathan had during the Sallah celebration visited former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar in Minna, a move many feel was not unconnected with the case of his wife.

Already there are insinuations that the Muhammadu Buhari-led government is itching closer to indicting former President Goodluck Jonathan.

However, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday said that government was not prosecuting or persecuting Mrs Jonathan, as she involved herself in the investigations by claiming the money linked to Dudafa.

There has been no official reaction from the first lady yet, over the latest development.

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