The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday lost an attempt to forfeit funds belonging to former Nigerian First Lady, Patience Jonathan and her firm, Lawari Furniture Limited.
The EFCC had approached Justice Cecilia Olateregun of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court and sought an interim order to forfeit monies belonging to Mrs. Jonathan.
But in her ruling, Justice Olateregun struck out the application by the anti-graft agency and lambasted it for engaging in media trial of suspects.
The judge held that instead of carrying out water-tight investigations and diligent prosecution of suspects, the commission goes from one court to another and making noise in the media.
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Justice Olateregun said the agency is fond of engaging in what she described as “act of forum shopping and running from one court to another.”
She also attacked the commission for constantly denigrating and maligning suspects without putting its acts together.
The judge held that it is an abuse of the court process for the anti-graft agency to file a similar case in different courts of coordinate jurisdiction.
She argued that the case before her court has also been filed by the EFCC before Justice Binta Nyako and John Tosho of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.
“Fighting corruption does not equate with not respecting citizens’ rights,” the judge had told counsel to the EFCC.
Details coming….
