The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured interim court order for the forfeiture of N397 million believed to be proceeds of pension fraud stashed in two commercial banks.
A statement issued on Tuesday by the Acting Head of Media and Publicity of the anti-graft agency Tony Orilade, said that Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of a Federal High Court, Abuja, ordered the interim forfeiture to the Federal Government the sum of N357,206,311.15, $91,955.38 (N33, 411, 987.32) and £15,050 (N7, 040 , 841.5) stashed in two commercial banks, and which are believed to be proceeds of pension fraud.
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The judge had on October 26, 2018 issued the order of interim forfeiture for the monies domiciled in Zenith Bank and Skye Bank (now Polaris Bank), following an ex-parte summons by the EFCC dated October 3, 2018 and filed on October 5, 2018. The EFCC had in the course of investigating a pension fraud case, traced to the monies to the accounts of Tahir Yusuf and Bitmas Enterprises, the statement said.
The judge has also directed that the Commission publish the notice of the order in any national daily newspaper and on the EFCC’s website, the statement added.
Justice Ojukwu held that: “Any such persons or bodies, who may be affected by this order is at liberty within 14 days of the said publication to apply for a Motion on Notice to the Court on such justifiable grounds, to show cause why a final order of forfeiture should not be made.”
The matter has been fixed for November 28, 2018 for “report/hearing of order show cause”.
Innocent Odoh, Abuja
