Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki has stated that his
attention has been drawn to an order said to have been granted by a Federal
High Court in Lagos for a temporary forfeiture of his property on 17A McDonald
Road, Ikoyi, following an ex-parte application by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity),
Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki stated that the Federal High Court in Lagos must have
been misled into granting that order as neither him nor his lawyers were aware
of any application by the EFCC for any forfeiture order.
It is my belief that the Court was not informed of a pending
Order of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja restraining @officialEFCC from
taking any steps regarding the seizure of the property in question pending the
determination of a suit filed before that Court.
He said there is a subsisting court order issued by the
Federal High Court, Abuja, in which the same property was a subject matter and
where the EFCC and the Federal Ministry of Justice were parties. According to
Saraki, the court in that case gave an order restraining the EFCC from taking
any further action until the matter is determined.
“We are sure the FHC judge in Lagos was not aware of all
these facts and has therefore been misled into giving the temporary forfeiture
order. The affected property, House Number 17 A and 17B, was specifically
listed in the case against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal in which the
EFCC was part of the prosecution and the case went up to the Supreme Court
where the apex court in its July 6, 2018 judgement ruled in his favour.
“The Supreme Court has ruled that the source of funds for
the purchase of the property was not illicit as claimed by the prosecution. On
pages 12, 13 and 26 of the judgement of the highest court, this particular
property on 17A McDonald Street, Ikoyi, was specifically referred to and the
court upheld the no case submission of Dr. Saraki and therefore ruled in his
favour.
“We know that any action which tends to mislead the court
amounts to misrepresentation and it is a good ground for us to get the Court to
throw away the order it issued today. We are sure the order will be reversed.
“We therefore call on all the friends, associates and
supporters of Dr. Saraki to remain calm because we know this action will not
stand when the court gets to hear the side of the former Senate President”,
Saraki stated.
