SAN FRANCISCO, September 24, (THEWILL) – A self-professed solicitor to former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, Mr. Charles Ogboli, on Friday disputed the narrative by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on the freezing of dollar accounts belonging to the wife of the immediate past president, Patience Jonathan.
Ogboli, who earlier claimed he is a Human Rights Watch and Anti-corruption activist, told Channels Television that the $20m found in the five accounts traced to Patience could have been given to her by her husband, former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The activist, who contested for the Delta State governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2014, stated that Patience had told him about all that transpired, concluding that her case was nothing but a witch-hunt.
When asked where Patience could have got the money from, he argued that $20m (N8bn) was not too much for a woman whose husband served as a deputy governor, governor, Vice-President and President within a period of 16 years.
According to him, “it is worrisome that the information the EFCC is circulating is not the true picture of what really happened.
“I am against anything that has to do with corruption and I believe that it is my duty to fight for an innocent person.”
Giving further explanation on the incident, the lawyer said that the former First Lady, as far back as 2013, had requested that she should be permitted to carry cash on a medical trip abroad.
“She wanted to travel out of the country for medical attention and she sought permission to travel with cash.
“She contacted the former Special Adviser (SA) to President Goodluck Jonathan on Domestic Affairs and he said she should seek EFCC’s authorisation.
“She contacted top officials of the EFCC and they advised that she should open an account.
“She asked the SA to the President to contact a bank for the account.
“The SA came in with two Skye Bank officials. They brought forms and she filled them with her personal data. No companies were involved.
“After some days they came back with cards and she started operating the accounts.
“One of the cards had her name while the others have the name of her mother.
“When she noticed that three of the cards she was having were in companies’ names, she reported and complained bitterly. The Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs was informed. Mrs Jonathan called the SA and asked that the company names should be changed,” he explained.
The anti-corruption activist said the bank, however, did not effect the change that Mrs Jonathan had requested for.
He stated that the EFCC had made some revelations, claiming that it was money laundering, and insisted that it was not the true story.
Ogboli, however pointed out that the action of the bank to use the names of companies – Pluto Properties, Sea Gate Properties, Trans Oceans Properties – which he claimed Mrs Jonathan had no affiliation with, could be a deliberate action.
He further stated that before a bank could open a company account, the nation’s laws mandated them to ensure that necessary documents that would show the registration status of the company were documented.
The former governorship hopeful pointed out that the accounts had the BVN personal data of the former First Lady.
“The SA went ahead to use companies’ names to open accounts which the first lady discovered and said I am not part of this. I am not a director of these companies neither am I a shareholder. I did not present any certificate of incorporation and I did not ask the bank to open an account,” he said, quoting Mrs Jonathan.
He said that the wife of the former President discovered the company accounts between 2013 and 2014.
According to him, Mrs Jonathan and her mother were the signatories of the accounts in the company names.
The activist insisted that the monies in the accounts should be left for the First Lady, asking the anti-graft agency to go to the bank and request for the forms filled by the former First Lady.
