EFCC Traces Additional $5M to Patience Jonathan Account

Forum 7 years ago

EFCC Traces Additional $5M to Patience Jonathan Account

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has traced an additional $5m to the Skye Bank account of Dame Patience Jonathan, the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan. This brings to $20m the total amount so far traced to the former first lady.

As part of investigations into a money laundering case against a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to ex-President Jonathan, Waripamowei Dudafa, the EFCC had traced four company accounts to him with a balance of $15m. The EFCC subsequently charged Dudafa and the four companies with money laundering...


The four companies, whose accounts have since been frozen, are 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.
A source at the EFCC said, “While we were investigating Dudafa, we traced the four companies to him. The companies have domiciliary accounts at Skye Bank with a balance of about $15m. So, we obtained a court order and froze the accounts.

“We then traced the directors of the companies who then denied ownership of the accounts. It was later that we were informed that the accounts belonged to Patience Jonathan and that she is the sole signatory to the accounts. She was given a special card which she used in making withdrawals across the world.

“We, therefore, wondered why the accounts were not opened in her name if she had nothing to hide. In fact, we later found out that her personal account, which bears her name, has a balance of $5m. One wonders where a person, who has never held a government position, got the money from. She was not our initial target but she certainly has questions to answer.”
Jonathan’s wife has, however, sued Skye Bank for freezing her bank accounts and giving the EFCC vital information about her finances. Patience filed a N200m fundamental rights enforcement suit against Skye Bank Plc.

However, the EFCC is in moves to arraign Dudafa and his alleged accomplices for money laundering before a Federal High Court in Lagos.