Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday ordered an interim forfeiture of two properties linked to Patience Jonathan, wife of former President, Goodluck Jonathan.
The properties are located at Plot No. 1960, Cadastral Zone A05, Maitama District; and Plot No. 1350, Cadastral Zone A00, both in Abuja.
The properties were said to be registered in the name of Ariwabai Aruera Reachout Foundation, which Patience is one of the trustees.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had, in an ex parte application filed in September 2017, demanded for an interim forfeiture of the properties, which it claimed were subjects of an ongoing criminal investigation.
Ruling on the commission’s ex parte application on Monday, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba dismissed Mrs. Jonathan’s objection to the application for lacking in merit.
The court then ordered the interim forfeiture, which he, however, ruled must only last for 45 days.
The judge added that the EFCC was at liberty to file an application for the extension of the life span of the order before the expiration of the initial 45 days.
He also ordered that if for any reason EFCC’s officials needed to access the properties within the period of interim forfeiture, they must do so with the respondents in attendance.
The court also ruled that the inventory of the fixtures in the properties and a report to that effect be submitted to the court.
Court orders interim forfeiture of Patience Jonathan’s Abuja houses