SAN FRANCISCO, March 08, (THEWILL) – The supreme court has upheld an order of interim forfeiture made by a federal high court in Lagos in connection to the $8.4 million traced to Patience Jonathan, former first lady by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In its judgement on Friday, a five-man panel of the court led by Dattijo Muhammad unanimously ruled that the appeal filed by wife of the former president, challenging the interim forfeiture, was without merit.
The court also directed the former first lady to go before the federal high court to explain why the funds should not be permanently forfeited to the federal government.
In April, Mojisola Olatoregun of the federal high, Lagos, granted EFCC the ex parte order.
Jonnathan’s wife then filed an appeal before the court of appeal to challenge the competence of the ex parte application filed by the EFCC to request the order of interim forfeiture.
She also challenged the validity of the order made by the trial court and the constitutionality of section 17 of AFFA.
But the court dismissed her appeal, prompting her to approach the Supreme court.
