EFCC backs down, allows Mrs Jonathan free access to her $5.9m

Patience Jonathan now has free access to her $5.9 million as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday withdrew its application to restrain her from accessing the funds.

The anti-graft agency had applied for a stay of execution of a court order which unfroze the Skye Bank account where the money is deposited.

EFCC made the application after a Lagos Federal High Court presided over by Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, ordered that the former First Lady and wife of erstwhile President Goodluck Jonathan’s account be unfrozen.

However, when the case came up on Tuesday, a counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that the commission had changed its mind about appealing the unfreezing order and was withdrawing its earlier application on stay of execution.

Patience’s lawyer, Ifedayo Adedipe, confirming the development, told Justice Olatoregun that the EFCC’s counsel had served him with the EFCC’s application to withdraw its application for stay of proceedings.

Justice Olatoregun, subsequently granted their prayers to withdraw their respective applications.

This means that Mrs Jonathan now has unhindered access to her bank account.

Based on an ex parte application by the anti-graft agency last year, Justice Olatoregun had ordered that multiple accounts linked with Mrs Jonathan be temporarily frozen pending the outcome of the case before the court.

An operative of the EFCC Abdulahi Tukur, had told the judge that the funds retained in the said accounts were suspected proceeds of crime and needed to be investigated, adding that it would be in the interest of justice that the accounts be frozen.

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