LAGOS: The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the interim forfeiture of a cash sum of $2,045m linked to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele.
Seven landed properties linked to the former governor also received interim forfeiture as declared by the judgement delivered by Justice Akintayo Aluko
The lands are listed as: “two fully detached duplexes of identical structures, lying being and situated at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos; an undeveloped/bare land, measuring 1919.592sqm with Survey Plan No. DS/LS/340 lying, being and situate at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos;
Also are a bungalow lying, being and situate at No. 65a Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos; four bedroom duplex lying, being and situate at 12a Probyn Road, Ikoyi;
Industrial complex under construction on a 22-plot of land, lying, being and situate in Agbor, Delta State; 8 units of the undetached apartment on a plot measuring 2457.60sqm OF lying, being and situate at No. 8a Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi,
And a full duplex together with all its appurtenances on a plot of land measuring 2217.87sqm lying, being and situate at 2a Bank Road, Ikoyi, Lagos”.
Justice Aluko further ordered the interim forfeiture of 2 shares of share certificates of Queensdorf Global Fund Limited Trust.
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The judge made the interim forfeiture orders on Thursday, after taking an application for the orders in a suit filed and moved by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Rotimi Oyedepo who led Chineye Okezie and Zeenat Atiku-Bala.
Oyedepo urged the court to seize the assets, stating that there is an adequate suspicion that the money and other things being taken away are the profits of illegal activity.
Oyedepo also stated that the orders are being requested in accordance with the court’s inherent jurisdiction, Section 44 (2)(B) of the 1999 Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution, and Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14, 2006.
The Senior Advocate also informed the court that an affidavit provided by one Idi Musa, an investigator with the EFCC’s Lagos office, supports the motion exparte.
The deponent states in part of the affidavit, “that I am a worker of the Economic and FinancialThe Senior Advocate advised the court that the motion ex parte is also supported by an affidavit provided by one Idi Musa, an investigator with the EFCC’s Lagos office.
Some of the deponent’s allegations in the affidavit are as follows: “that I am one of the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission assigned to investigate the damning intelligence report received by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in respect of monumental fraudulent activities perpetrated by some senior officers of the Central Bank of Nigeria through which huge sums of money were fraudulently converted and transferred for personal benefit.”
Following an investigation, it was discovered that Godwin Emefiele had several errands carried out for him by Ifeanyi Omeke, a Deputy General Manager and Head of Litigation at Zenith Bank Plc.
Omeke worked closely with Godwin Emefiele and performed tasks such as gathering and perfecting title documents for several properties located in luxurious areas of Lagos. And that several seals for different companies, including but not limited to Queensdorf Global Fund Limited, were discovered after the agents searched Mr. Ifeanyi Collins Omeke’s office.
“That upon investigation, it was revealed that one Ifeanyi Omeke, a Deputy General Manager and Head, Litigation of Zenith Bank Plc, who worked closely with Godwin Emefiele ran several errands for him which included purchase and perfection of title documents for several properties located in highbrow areas of Lagos.
And that upon a search conducted in the office premises of Mr Ifeanyi Collins Omeke by the operatives, several seals for various companies including but not limited to Queensdorf Global Fund Limited were recovered.
