A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order of final forfeiture over $7,000,000.00 in cash abandoned in a branch of a commercial bank at No. 114 Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, by individuals identified as unknown.
Justice Emeka Nwite issued the forfeiture order yesterday while ruling on an application filed by the EFCC and moved by Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).
Oyedepo recalled that the court had issued an interim forfeiture order on August 27 in the case and directed the applicant to publish the order in any widely circulated newspaper.
He said the EFCC complied with the order on September 1, adding that since then, no one had come forward to claim the money, which informed the filing of the application for the final forfeiture.
Oyedepo prayed the court to grant the prayer as contained in the application for final forfeiture.
A lawyer, who announced his appearance for an interested party, Darlington Ozurumba, told the court that he was not objecting to the court granting the application.
When the case last came up on September 12, a lawyer, Gbenga Femi Akande, who said he was appearing for an unnamed interested party, promised to file a count-affidavit yesterday to oppose the application for the final forfeiture.
But he was absent from yesterday’s proceedings and failed to file the document he promised to file.
Ruling, Justice Nwite said since the application was not opposed by anyone, there was no reason for the court to reject it.
The judge granted it and ordered that the funds be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
In a supporting affidavit attached to the application, the EFCC gave details of how its investigators, acting on credible intelligence, discovered the money and recovered it in full.
The deponent, an operative of the commission, said the investigation stated that funds were conveyed to the bank under suspicious circumstances between March 25 and 26.
The operative, who said he was part of the team that covered the case, explained that the funds were handed over to the Cash Officer of the bank.
