BEVERLY HILLS, January 30, (THEWILL) – A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, dismissed a fundamental human rights enforcement suit filed by wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of violating her various rights.
Patience had in the suit alleged that the freezing of accounts belonging to her and some of her relatives following interim forfeiture orders got by the EFCC and the search on her properties, amounted to violation of her fundamental rights and sought damages at the cost of N2b.
In her suit filed on June 30, 2017, Patience accused the EFCC of harassing her over her political views which she held in 2015 and alleged that the anti-graft commission resorted to invasion of houses linked to her, and obtaining interim forfeiture orders against accounts and houses belonging to her, her non-government organisation and her family members.
But delivering judgment on the suit, Justice John Tsoho held that although the case was not an abuse of court process, as argued by the EFCC, Mrs. Jonathan was not entitled to all the reliefs she sought because she failed to prove her case adding that none of her complaints against the EFCC was sustainable.
The judge said the EFCC was right to have obtained interim forfeiture orders on the accounts upon reasonable suspicion that the accounts were used for criminal activities saying her complaint about the freezing of her accounts and those of her relatives was premature since investigation on the accounts was still ongoing.
Justice Tsoho also said Mrs. Jonathan failed to prove her claim that her investigation by the EFCC was vindictive because her husband conducted the 2015 presidential election against the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari and because of her strong views against Buhari during the campaign.
The judge ruled that none of her rights, including rights to fair hearing, own property, family life, dignity of human person, and freedom from discrimination, was violated by the actions of the EFCC in the agency’s handling of the investigations of bank accounts and properties linked to her and her relatives.
He held that the former First Lady having failed to prove her allegations against the commission, was not entitled to any of the six prayers, including N2bn damages, sought in the suit.
“It is obvious that the case of the applicant was weakened by the assertion that the investigation is ongoing,” he said.
“Having held that the applicant’s case is not made out, I further hold that this applicant is not entitled to any of the reliefs sought in this application. The suit is struck out.”
