The
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested four domestic servants,
including a driver and a houseboy, whose names were used to open bank accounts
for Mrs Dame Patience Jonathan, the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Sources
within the anti-graft agency said on Sunday that the companies’ accounts were
opened at Skye Bank.
The
companies are Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited, Seagate Property
Development and Investment Company Limited, Trans Ocean Property and Investment
Company Limited and Globus Integrated Service Limited.
The
four companies’ accounts, which have since been frozen by the EFCC, have a
balance of about $15m while another account, which bears Patience Jonathan’s
name, has $5m.
Mr.
Sammie Somiari, who deposed to an affidavit on behalf of the ex-President’s
wife, said the former First Lady was the owner of the money in the accounts.
She
had revealed that she gave millions of dollars to the then Special Adviser to
the President on Domestic Affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa, to open accounts for
her.
Somiari,
however, claimed that Dudafa opened five accounts for Patience and that only
one of the accounts was in her name, while the other four were opened in the
names of companies belonging to Dudafa.
A
detective at the EFCC, however, revealed that Dudafa used his domestic
servants’ names to open the four other accounts and then deposited the money
into the accounts.
The
operative added, “We were investigating Dudafa when we stumbled on those four
companies’ domiciliary accounts opened at Skye Bank with a balance of about
$15m. On further investigation, we were able to identify the directors of the
companies.
“When
we detained the directors, we found out that they were Dudafa’s domestic
servants. One of them was a houseboy while another one was a driver. Their
photographs were used in opening the accounts and their signatures were forged.
“We
found out that these domestic servants were completely innocent because they
had no access to the accounts. We have since released them. The sole signatory
to the accounts was Patience Jonathan and she was issued with a special card,
which is accepted worldwide. She has a separate account, which was opened in
her name and has a balance of $5m.”
The
detective said a lawyer, Amajuoyi Briggs, who allegedly helped Dudafa to
perpetrate the fraud, would also be arraigned.
It
was learnt that two Skye Bank executives, Demola Bolodeoku and Dipo Oshodi, who
helped Dudafa to open the accounts on March 22, 2010, were also being
investigated.
The
detective added, “This is a clear case of fraud and there is no way the bank
officials will say they did not know what was going on. They are under
investigation and those found culpable will be arraigned.”
The
EFCC operative said he could not immediately confirm if the transaction was
reported to the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit.
He
explained that the commission had discovered a trend which politicians used in
laundering and concealing funds, saying it was becoming more rampant due to the
operation of the Bank Verification Number which links all accounts owned by an
individual.
He
added, “What we have noticed is that in order to conceal funds, what
politicians and top civil servants do is to open bank accounts in the name of
family or friends and then make themselves the sole signatory to the account.
“Don’t
forget that we traced about 17 bank accounts to the immediate past Chief of
Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.).
“Often
times, they do this in connivance with bank officials and that is why the EFCC
Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, has said henceforth, whenever we are investigating
a bank official, we will probe the entire bank as well because these officials
usually act under the instruction of their superiors.”
Jonathan’s
wife has, however, sued Skye Bank for freezing her bank accounts and giving the
EFCC vital information about her finances.
She
also wants the court to order Skye Bank to pay her damages in the sum of N200m
for what she termed a violation of her right to own personal properties under
Section 44 of the 1999 Constitution.
Source:The Punch
Categories:
Politics
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