BEVERLY HILLS, January 23, (THEWILL) – Esther Oba, a sister to ex-First Lady, Patience Jonathan, has been arrested by the men of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Esther was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at about noon on Monday, shortly after arriving from Dubai in company of her husband, three children and a house help having been on the watch list for months.
EFCC investigators are to interrogate her in connection with the alleged laundering of over N359, 397,458.26 through two firms, AM-PM Global Networks Limited and Finchley Homes Limited, linked with the former First Lady.
About N317,397,458.26 was traced to the suspect in AM-PM Global Networks Limited while she is expected to explain how she came about the management of N42million in Finchley Homes Limited.
EFCC sources said the suspect is central to the ongoing probe of the former First Lady because her name featured in the operation of one of the accounts of Mrs Jonathan.
The account is in the name of AM-PM Global Networks Limited with Esther as the sole signatory to the account, which is domiciled in Stanbic IBTC, and suspected to have been used for money laundering and has been frozen by the anti-graft body.
“From our findings, the closing balance in the account was N317,397,458.26 as at August 10, 2017. The inflows came without a clear narration as to the source,” The Nation quotes the source.
“However, investigation is being intensified in that direction. Her claim is that the company was owned by their mother who is deceased. However, major inflows into the account occurred after the demise of their mother, Mrs. Esther Fynface Charity Oba.
“She claimed that transactions were continued by her late brother, Mr. Tamuno Mohammed Tonye (who was buried in December 2017), but in an attempt to regularise the account at the advent of the of BVN, a board resolution was submitted to Stanbic IBTC requesting that Esther Oba should be the signatory to the account.
“She took charge of this account on 3rd February 2016 and between March and May 2016, the account had an inflow of N350m but she said she does not know the source. She is attributing the source to her brother.”
