Wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Patience Jonathan,
has filed a fundamental human rights enforcement suit against the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, seeking N2bn as compensation
for alleged harassment by the anti-graft agency.
She alleged in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/586/2017 filed before the
Federal High Court in Abuja that the EFCC violated her rights by
incessantly harassing her through negative media publications.
She alleged that the EFCC was denigrating and degrading her person
as corrupt, without any invitation for interrogation, trial or
conviction. Mrs. Jonathan cited instances of the alleged harassment and
intimidation by the EFCC in an affidavit filed in support of the suit.
She said the instances included the invasion of her properties and
the freezing of her accounts, those of her siblings, relatives and her
late mother, Mama Sisi Charity Oba.
The supporting affidavit to the suit deposed to by one of her lawyers, Sammie Somiari, stated, “The
investigation into the operations of her pet project, when she was
First Lady, is an unprecedented act of animosity against her as none of
her projects was funded by the government at any level.
“The respondent had physically raided the homes of the applicant and her relatives both in Abuja and Yenagoa.
“Recently the respondent raided the home of the applicant’s first daughter, both at Port Harcourt and Abuja.
“The respondent has waged a psychological war on the applicant
by its threats of arrest of the applicant and her relations, such as
Mrs. Esther Oba, Tamunotonye Oba and her elder brother, Mr. Aseminaso
Nyengierefaka.”
She alleged that the commission was persecuting her over her
“political views” during the campaign for the 2015 presidential election
which her husband contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic
Party and lost to President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives
Congress.
She accused the EFCC of waging “psychological war” against her by
persistently intimidating, harassing and threatening her and those
around her.
She identified some of her frozen accounts to include the five she opened with Skye Bank.
According to the affidavit, the former first lady opened the
accounts following the advice by a former Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim
Lamorde, on how she could pay for her treatment abroad without having to
move huge cash around in violation of money laundering laws.
The affidavit accused the EFCC of demonstrating “pathological
dislike” towards the former first lady despite the fact that she was
never a public office holder.
She is among other prayers seeking an order for general
damages/compensation in the sum of N2bn for the alleged violation of her
fundamental rights.
She equally wants a declaration that indiscriminate freezing of her
bank accounts and those of her relatives by the EFCC under the guise of
investigation of proceeds of crime, without any invitation or
interrogation by the respondent is a violation of her rights to own
property and to fair hearing guaranteed under Sections 44 and 36(1) of
the 1999 Constitution.
The matter came up for mention before Justice John Tsoho on Thursday.
It was adjourned until November 16.
The EFCC is expected to file its response to the suit before then.
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