{"id":67079,"date":"2019-06-01T04:52:24","date_gmt":"2019-06-01T03:52:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=67079"},"modified":"2019-06-01T04:52:24","modified_gmt":"2019-06-01T03:52:24","slug":"govs-forum-appeal-court-okays-final-forfeiture-of-n1-4bn-paris-club-refund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/govs-forum-appeal-court-okays-final-forfeiture-of-n1-4bn-paris-club-refund\/","title":{"rendered":"Govs Forum: Appeal Court Okays Final Forfeiture of N1.4bn Paris Club\u00a0 Refund"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
The Court of Appeal in Lagos on Friday okayed the request of the<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the final forfeiture
\nof N1.4billion which a firm, Melrose General Services Limited, obtained
\nfrom the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) through false claims.<\/p>\n

Melrose is allegedly linked to outgoing Senate President, Dr Bukola
\nSaraki, whose two aides- Gbenga Makanjuola and Kolawole Shittu are being
\nprosecuted by the EFCC in respect of the matter.<\/p>\n

Justice Cecilia Olatoregun of the Federal High Court in Lagos had on
\nApril 27, 2018 ordered the final forfeiture of the said N1.4billion to
\nthe Federal Government.<\/p>\n

Dissatisfied with the verdict of Justice Olatoregun, Melrose General
\nServices approached the appellate court for redress, asking it to set
\naside the pronouncement of the lower court.<\/p>\n

But in its judgement on the matter on Friday, the Court of Appeal
\ndismissed the appeal of Melrose (the appellant) and resolved the four
\ncontentious issues in favour of the EFCC (the first respondent).<\/p>\n

The appellate court further held that Melrose appeal lacked merit and
\nordered the firm to pay 100,000 cost to the EFCC.<\/p>\n

The appellate court also held that Melrose could not show that the said
\nfunds were lawfully earned by it.<\/p>\n

It added that section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud Act, 2006, which the
\nEFCC relied on to seek for the forfeiture of the said funds was
\nconstitutional.<\/p>\n

According to the Court of Appeal, Melrose was not denied fair hearing in
\nthe matter.<\/p>\n

Justice of the Court of Appeal (JCA), Justice Tijjani Abubakar wrote the
\nlead judgement, Justice E. Tobi delivered the judgment while Justice O.
\nA. Obaseki-Adejumo concurred with the verdict.<\/p>\n

Lawyer to the Melrose, Mr Olawale Akoni (SAN) argued the appeal while
\nthe lawyer to the EFCC, Mr Ekele Iheanacho, appeared for the Commission.<\/p>\n

The EFCC had claimed that Melrose obtained N3.5bn from the Nigeria
\nGovernors’ Forum by making false claims.<\/p>\n

Listed as defendants in the final forfeiture application filed before
\nthe Federal High Court were Melrose General Services Limited, WASP
\nNetworks Limited and Thebe Wellness Services.<\/p>\n

The firms were accused of impersonating a consortium of consulting firms
\nengaged by the NGF for the “verification, reconciliation and recovery of
\nover-deductions on Paris and London Club Loans on the accounts of states
\nand local governments between 1995 and 2002.”<\/p>\n

But the EFCC insisted that the original firms engaged by the Governors’
\nForum were GSCL Consulting and Bizplus Consulting Services Limited.\u200e<\/p>\n

Usman Zakari, the alter ego of Melrose General Services Limited, Robert
\nMbonu, made a false representation to the Governors’ Forum, causing the
\nforum to pay N3.5bn to his company on December 14, 2016.<\/p>\n

Zakari said the money was credited into the Access Bank account of
\nMelrose General Services Limited, adding that Melrose and others
\ndissipated and laundered about N2.3bn out of the money between December
\n15, 2016, and January 20, 2017, leaving a balance of N1.2bn.<\/p>\n

Zakari said the anti-graft agency had also recovered N220m out of the
\nlaundered sum from WASP Networks Limited and Thebe Wellness Services.<\/p>\n

The EFCC had on October 13, 2017 obtained an interim order from Justice
\nMojisola Olatoregun, placing a “Post No Debit” order on the accounts
\ncontaining the N1.2bn and N220m.<\/p>\n

The Judge had made the order following plea by the lawyer to the EFCC,
\nMr Ekene Iheanacho, that it would best serve the interest of justice for
\nMelrose and others to forfeit the N1.4bn temporarily to prevent them
\nfrom dissipating same.<\/p>\n

The Judge, after granting the interim freezing order in 2018, directed
\nthe EFCC to publish the order in a national daily giving anyone
\ninterested in the funds 14 days to appear before the court to show cause
\nwhy the funds should not be forfeited permanently.<\/p>\n

Subsequently, one Prince Godwin Maduka and Linas International Limited
\nshowed up before the court, praying separately that the funds should be
\nforfeited to them.<\/p>\n

Maduka claimed that his firm, Udemgaba Maduka & Associates, had been
\nengaged in 2011 as a consultant by Zamfara State Government to help the
\nstate recover some hanging funds, with an agreement that it would be
\npaid 20 per cent of the recovered funds.<\/p>\n

He urged the court to forfeit the N1.4bn to his company to cover Zamfara
\nState’s alleged indebtedness to him.<\/p>\n

But the EFCC opposed Maduka, contending that the suit was not a debt
\nrecovery suit and that Zamfara State was not a party to the suit.<\/p>\n

In her verdict on the matter, Justice Olatoregun upheld the EFCC’s
\nargument and dismissed Maduka’s claims.<\/p>\n

On its own part, Linas International Limited said it was entitled to the
\npayment of $6m from Nigeria Governors’ Forum.<\/p>\n

But Justice Olatoregun also dismissed its claim, holding that the suit
\nwas not a debt recovery suit.<\/p>\n

Having dismissed both claims, the judge ordered the permanent forfeiture
\nof the N1.4bn to the Federal Government.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Court of Appeal in Lagos on Friday okayed the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the final forfeiture of N1.4billion which a firm, Melrose General…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nGovs Forum: Appeal Court Okays Final Forfeiture of N1.4bn Paris Club\u00a0 Refund - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/govs-forum-appeal-court-okays-final-forfeiture-of-n1-4bn-paris-club-refund\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Govs Forum: Appeal Court Okays Final Forfeiture of N1.4bn Paris Club\u00a0 Refund - 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