Emefiele: Court Adjourns Hearing In Case Challenging Forfeiture Order

Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday adjourned further hearing in the applications challenging the order temporarily forfeiting $2,045,045 and some properties allegedly linked to former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele to October 4.

Justice Dipeolu also sent the case to be returned to the Administrative Judge of the Lagos division of the court, Justice Ayokunle Faji, for re-assignment and further directive following the end of his sitting as a vacation judge.

The judge made the orders after counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi oyedepo (SAN) and Olalekan Ojo (SAN), who represented Emefiele, disagreed on which of the various applications before the court should be heard first.

On August 15, the then vacation Judge, Justice Akintayo Aluko, ordered the interim forfeiture of the money and some landed properties after listening to an ex-parte application to that effect moved by Oyedepo.

The lands are listed as “two fully detached duplexes of identical structures, lying being and situated at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos; an undeveloped/bare land, measuring 1919.592sqm with Survey Plan No. DS/LS/340 LYING, being situated at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos.

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Others are a bungalow lying, being and situated at No. 65a Oyinkan Abayomi Drive (Formerly Queens Drive), Ikoyi, Lagos; a bedroom duplex lying, being and situated at 12a Probyn Road, Ikoyi; Industrial complex under construction on a 22-plot of land, lying, being and situate in Agbor, Delta State; 8 units of the undetached apartment on a plot measuring 2457.60sqm OF lying, being and situate at No. 8a Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi, and a full duplex together with all its appurtenances on a plot of land measuring 2217.87sqm lying, being and situate at 2a Bank Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Justice Aluko also ordered that two share certificates of Queensdorf Global Fund Limited Trust allegedly belonging to Emefiele be forfeited.

After granting the ex-parte motion, the judge directed the EFCC to publish it in a national newspaper to enable anyone interested in the properties to appear before the Court and show cause within 14 days why the court should not grant the final order of forfeiture of the said properties in favour of the federal government.

But at the resumed hearing of the matter on Thursday, Ojo informed the court that his application seeking a stay of proceedings should be heard first.

The lawyer submitted that the application seeks a stay of all applications pending the hearing and determination of the criminal charge filed against Emefiele before a sister court.

For his part, Oyedepo insisted that the application to show cause should be heard first as earlier ordered by the court.

After listening to the two lawyers, Justice Dipeolu held that based on the contentious nature of the case and the fact that his term as a vacation judge ends on Friday, September 13th, he would not have adequate time to hear all the pending applications and rule on them.

He, therefore, adjourned the matter to October 4 and ordered that the case file be returned to the administrative Judge for re-assignment and further directive.