A Federal High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory has ordered the interim forfeiture of $899,900 and N304, 490,160.95 recovered from a former Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) Ahmed Idris.
The court in its ruling also forfeited 15 properties recovered from Idris in Kano and Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The properties which were linked to the former AGF include Kano City Mall/Al Ikhlas Shopping Mall at Mandwawarti, Kano; one storey Shopping Complex at Ladanai, Kano; Corner Shops at Ladanai, Kano; a duplex at Karsana, Abuja; Royal Duplex at Deneji Quarters, Kano and a Duplex at Plot 271, New Jersey Street, Efab Blue Fountain Estate, Abuja.
EFCC had filed a 14-count charge against Idris and others over stealing and money laundering to the tune of N109 billion.
The presiding Judge, Justice M.A Hassan gave the order on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, while ruling on a motion exparte no. M/1149/2022, filed by the EFCC.
The spokesman of the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwujaren revealed this in a statement.
The Commission in the motion had prayed the Court for an Order of interim attachment/ forfeiture of the properties in the Schedule to the application, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive case in Charge No. FCT, HC/CR/299/2022, Federal Republic of Nigeria V. Ahmed Idris and Others.
The Commission had requested the court to grant among others, an Order approving the interim “management of the assets and properties in the Schedule to this application to the applicant”, an order “to open an interest yielding account where monies realised from the management of the assets and properties of the persons stated in the Schedule to this application shall be paid”, and an order “freezing the Bank Accounts of the persons referred to as account holders/ or the bank accounts set out in the Schedule to this application”, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive case.
Justice Hassan granted the motion as prayed but further ordered that the recovery account sought to be opened by the applicant, “shall be in the name of the Commission as Recovery Account and the details of the Account shall be reported back to the Court within one week of opening”.
Nine properties linked to the second respondent, Mohammed Kudu Usman, located in Abuja, Niger and Nasarawa States, were also forfeited in the interim.
They include plots of land with shops in Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State, 37 hectares of farmland with livestock located along Minna-Bida Road in Niger State, Bungalow flats at Gwarimpa, Abuja, Bungalow Buildings at Masaka, Nasarawa State, plots of land at Dutse Alhaji Abuja and 13 plots of land at Integrated City, Minna, Niger State.
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