Former First Lady Patience Jonathan, Thursday, September
15, 2016, claimed that she is the owner and sole signatory to the five accounts
in which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) uncovered over $15
million.
Denying that the said the accounts were opened in the
name of her domestic workers, Patience Jonathan, explained that the accounts
were opened to facilitate her travel overseas, particularly for medical
treatment, sundry purchase for herself and her late mother, Mrs. Charity Oba
(Mama Sisi).
She indicted Mr. Wampemo-Owei Dudafa, the Special
Adviser on Domestic Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, and Skye
Bank officials for registering phony companies for four of the five accounts.
In a statement by Yemi Akinbode, Mama Peace as Mrs.
Jonathan is fondly called, disowned the ‘representatives’ of the four companies
who pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering.
Her lawyer, Gboyega Oyewole, said her client would
appeal the validity of the representatives of Pluto Property and Investment
Company Limited, Seagate Property Development & Investment Company Limited,
Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited and Avalon Global Property
Development Company Limited.
“This is a clear evidence of the desperation of the
prosecution to pull down the former First Lady and confiscate her hard-earned
money,” Oyewole said.
Patience Jonathan, in another statement by Media
Assistant Chima Osuji, said although the accounts were opened in 2013, she
started operating them two years ago.
The statement said: “Sometime in 2013, following the
advice of top officials of the EFCC then in the company of Hon. Wampemo-Owei
Dudafa who was the Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to the former President
Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, that she should not travel oversees with cash,
otherwise she may contravene Money Laundering laws, Mrs Patience Jonathan
agreed to open accounts with Skye Bank Plc and directed Hon. Dudafa to see to
it.
“Hon Dudafa came with two bank managers (officials)
of Skye Bank Plc with the account opening forms which she duly signed.”
“These accounts were all dollar-based. Platinum Visa
cards were issued in respect of the five accounts.”
“When the bank officials brought the ATM cards for
the said accounts of which she is sole signatory, she discovered to her
surprise that only one of these accounts bore her personal name while four were
in the names of companies not known to her.
“She immediately complained about this anomaly to
Hon. Dudafa and the bank officials, Demola Doledeoku and Dipo Oshodi, came back
to the Villa with forms to change and convert the said accounts to the personal
name of Mrs Jonathan.
“This was her firm request which the bank officials
promised to effect immediately and she duly completed account conversion forms
and signed the mandate forms as the sole signatory, but as it would appear, the
said bank officials did not change the Account names despite her request.
“It was in 2014 or thereabout that she was given the
ATM cards for all the five accounts, with the bank officials promising to
exchange the cards for the four reflecting her correct names. This again, the
bank officials failed to do despite her repeated request.”
“That Mrs. Patience Jonathan opened accounts in the
names of cooks, drivers and artisans. This is perhaps the biggest falsehood to
the knowledge of EFCC.
“The purpose for these tales by moonlight is to
malign Mrs. Jonathan in the eyes of the misinformed and unsuspecting members of
the Nigerian public and beyond and give a semblance of a picture of a hardworking
agency bent on fighting corruption and indeed winning the war.
“It is unfortunate that the EFCC, which belongs to
all Nigerians, will rather than conduct a painstaking and thorough
investigation of cases brought to it, will resort to a greater disposition and
propensity to engage in media trials built on outright falsehood and give to
innocent persons, including Mrs. Patience Jonathan, the toga of a “thief” or
“corrupt” person even before any proper trial.”
“It is important to highlight the following: Mrs
Patience Jonathan is not a Director, shareholder, promoter and/or participant
in any of the aforementioned four companies.
“Mrs. Patience Jonathan is the sole signatory to all
the said accounts. There is no driver, cook or artisan made to open or sign the
said account with her.”
“Mrs. Patience Jonathan has never received any monies
from any unknown sources paid into her accounts.
“The said accounts as aforesaid were to facilitate
her travel overseas, particularly for medical treatment, sundry purchase for
herself and her late mother Mrs. Charity Oba (Mama Sisi).
“Mrs. Patience Jonathan has never been involved in
any economic crime at all.
“These cards, all of them were being used solely by
Mrs. Patience Jonathan until the four cards failed to function sometime on the
27th July 2016, which necessitated her contacting the said Skye Bank Plc to
find out what the problem might be.
“It was then, for the first time the officials of
Skye Bank Plc informed Mrs Patience Jonathan that EFCC placed a no debit order/
freezing instruction on the said accounts. This was in spite of the Bank
informing EFCC that those four accounts belonged to Mrs. Patience Jonathan
personally.
“It was at this stage that Mrs. Jonathan contacted
her lawyers to protect her interest in her accounts with Skye Bank Plc with a
Letter of Authority. The lawyers promptly contacted Skye Bank Plc.
“The officials of the bank wrote to the lawyers
confirming the no debit status placed on the said accounts without any
notification to Mrs. Patience Jonathan.
“The ex-First Lady said the net balance in the five
accounts was below one-third of the $31.7million allegedly credited to the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). We challenge EFCC to provide
documents showing otherwise and linked to Mrs. Patience Jonathan.
“Hon. Dudafa and the bank managers named earlier have
all in writing informed the EFCC that the said balances in the said accounts
belong to Mrs. Patience Jonathan but the EFCC rather than act on those credible
sources of information decided to orchestrate a mechanism to forcefully seize
the monies belonging to her without any iota of evidence that the said sums
were proceeds of “economic crime” at all.
“Both EFCC and Skye Bank Plc have, despite repeated
requests failed, neglected and/ or refused to avail the lawyers to Mrs.
Patience Jonathan copy of the no debit/freezing order issued by the EFCC on the
said accounts
“On 3rd August, 2016, the lawyers of Mrs. Jonathan
approached the EFCC Zonal Office in Lagos and met with the Head of STF
investigation, Mr. Orji Chukwuma to protest on behalf of Mrs. Patience Jonathan
who said who said he would get back to the lawyers but never did until date.
“The Lawyers were therefore constrained to petition
the Chairman, EFCC and the EFCC Zonal Head, Lagos on this issue vide a letter
dated 10th August, 2016.
“Rather than EFCC to respond to the valid and
plausible complaints of the lawyers, they resorted to intimidating, torturing
and forcing the Hon. Dudafa, Demola Bolodeoku and Dipo Oshodi amongst others to
cajole them to make statements incriminating Mrs. Patience Jonathan.
“The EFCC also called the Skye Bank officials
restraining them from communicating with the lawyers or giving them documents
all in a bid to rope in Mrs. Patience Jonathan.”
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