Her explanation was contreference number GA/Abibo/00226/2016, written by her lawyers, Granville Abibo (SAN) and Co, and addressed to the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu.
Dame Patience expressed surprise that EFCC has been indirectly harassing or haranguing her as well as short-changing her of her personal funds in breach of her fundamental human rights.
She asked the EFCC boss to intervene by stopping what she called ‘the untoward and wrongful actions’ of his officials to embarrass, inconvenience and short-change her.
The four accounts belonged to the following companies: Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited, Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited and Globus Integrated Service Limited.
It was earlier revealed that a house boy, a driver and other domestic workers of a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to Jonathan, Waripamowei Dudafa, were named as directors, but Patience’s $15 million was lodged in the accounts and she was given a platinum card and exclusive access to the accounts.
The letter read in part:
“It is noteworthy to emphasise that the said accounts, which were in US dollar denomination, were card-based accounts and our client is the sole signatory to these accounts.
% accounts.
“However, our client has been operating the said accounts using the cards for her medical bill payments and purchases for her private purposes without any let or hindrance. Our client was therefore surprised when the said cards stop functioning on July 7, 2016, or thereabout. Our client immediately, thereupon, contacted Skye Bank Plc through our solicitors. It was only then that the bank officials informed our client that the said accounts were placed on a ‘No Debit Order’ following investigations and instruction from your commission and this is without notice to our client by either the bank or the commission.
“It is in the light of the foregoing that we urge you to use your good offices to vacate the ‘No Debit/Freezing Order’ placed on the said accounts.
“Despite the foregoing, our client, who is a law-abiding citizen, has watched with surprise how efforts are being made surreptitiously to indirectly harass or harangue her and short-change her of her personal funds in breach of her fundamental human rights. We urge you sir, to kindly intervene to stop the untoward and wrongful actions of your officials to embarrass, inconvenience and short-change our client.”
Responding to the letter a detective in the EFCC said: “We got a relevant court order to freeze those accounts and we have evidence which we will present in court on Friday.
“We did not know that the accounts belonged to Patience Jonathan at the time we froze them. The accounts do not bear her name neither do they carry her BVN (Bank Verification Number). So, how can she accuse us of harassment?
“She has a separate account in Skye Bank with the title ‘Patience Jonathan,’ which has a balance of $5m. If she claims she needs money for medical treatment, then the $5m should be alright.” [myad]
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