Former First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, on Wednesday, got a reprieve as the Senate Committee investigating the petitions against the freezing of her accounts, directed that they should be unfrozen.
The
Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, after
subjecting the Management of four different banks, where the first lady
had accounts, directed that those accounts not encumbered by any legal
process be re-opened.
The Committee, headed by Sen. Sam Anyanwu, observed that some of the accounts were frozen based on some administrative lapses.
According
to the Committee, one of the accounts which is with the Stanbic IBTC
Bank, had not breached any known law or due process.
The
Committee also directed that the account with Zenith Bank must be
re-opened because the court order which directed that it should be
frozen had been vacated bpp
The committee
members were particularly displeased with what they called arbitrary
manner in which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) used
the banks to close the accounts without complying with due process of
law.
After listening to the committee,
bank executives present informed the lawmakers that the court order
vacating the earlier ones relied upon by the EFCC to close the accounts
were not made available to them.
Consequently, they promised to re-open those accounts having been made to known of the vacation order.
The
committee expressed shock that the banks could rely on ordinary letter
by the EFCC anticipating a favourable ruling to free Customers’
accounts.
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