Court Dismisses Mrs. Jonathan’s N2bn Suit Against EFCC

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… Fines her N500,000

BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has ordered former First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan to pay the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000).

The Court, presided by Justice Saliu Saidu, at its sitting on Monday, July 3, 2017, awarded the cost when it struck out Mrs. Jonathan’s suit following her application to discontinue the case she had instituted against the EFCC.

Mrs Jonathan, through her legal counsel, I. A. Adedipe (SAN), had prayed the court to restrain the EFCC from infringing on her rights.

The suit was however countered by the EFCC counsel, Kayode Oni, who described the former First Lady’s suit as an abuse of court process.

At the resumed hearing on Monday July 3, Mrs Jonathan’s counsel, Sammie Somairi addressed the court on notice of discontinuance of the suit.

According to Somairi; “I have the instruction of my client to discontinue this matter,” adding that he has filed an application before the court to that effect.

While responding to Mrs. Jonathan’s application to discontinue the case, counsel to the EFCC, Oni said that while the former First Lady has the right to discontinue the case, he however pressed for a charge of N500,000 as cost of filing processes in response to the suit.

Mrs. Jonathan had in February sued the EFCC over alleged breach of her fundamental human rights and therefore asked the court to declare that the freezing of her bank accounts with about $20 million balance and those of her relatives by the EFCC as a gross violation of her rights to a fair hearing and to own property.

The former First Lady equally urged the court to award her N2 billion as damages against the EFCC over the illegal raid of her family property by personnel of the agency.

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