Keyamo: Tinubu’s Forfeiture Of $460,000 Was Civil, Not Criminal

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Keyamo: Tinubu’s Forfeiture Of $460,000 Was Civil, Not Criminal

Minister of State, Labour and Employment and Director, Public Affairs and Spokespersons, Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo (SAN) on Thursday insisted that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was not indicted or prosecuted for alleged involvement in drug trafficking in the United States.

Speaking with DAILY INDEPENDENT on the backlash that has trailed the interview he granted on Channels Television on the definition of 'forfeiture', when Tinubu forfeited the sum of $460,000 in one of the 10 accounts linked to him, Keyamo said that cannot be called a criminal forfeiture as no criminal charges were preferred against the former Lagos state governor.

He said rather than being indicted and prosecuted, the prosecutors obtained an indemnity from Tinubu to settle the matter and not to take action against them in the future.

"In the settlement agreement, they sought and obtained an indemnity from him against bringing an action against them in future for initially confiscating his money".

" In order words, they appealed to him to assure them it was the end of the matter and he would not come against them in further, which is more like a plea for the matter to be finally settled".

Also speaking on Tinubu’s forfeiture of $460,000 in one of the 10 accounts linked to him, Keyamo said that cannot be called a criminal forfeiture as no criminal charges were preferred against the former Lagos state governor.

"In law not all forfeitures are criminal; there are civil, criminal and administrative forfeitures. If there is no criminal charge, there cannot be a criminal forfeiture or indictment".

" In the case of @officialABAT, it was a civil forfeiture; there was no criminal charge against him"