MRS. JONATHAN, THREATEN TO DRAG EFCC TO HUMAN AND PEOPLES RIGHTS

Mrs. Patience Jonathan, has addressed a letter to the EFCC from her lawyers, threatening to drag EFCC before the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights in Gambia if EFCC didn't publicly apologize and de-freezed her account and will also demand N5 billion as damages.

The letter from First Law Solicitors was signed by Senior Partner, Timipa Jenkins Okponipere, on behalf of the company.

Read;

Consequently, we urge the EFCC to de-freeze our client’s accounts within 14 days from September 18, 2016 and tender a public apology to her. If the EFCC fails, refuses and/or neglects to comply accordingly, we shall file an action at the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights at The Gambia demanding N5 billion in exemplary and punitive damages.

The commission’s illegal and unlawful investigation of our client for alleged money laundering. These investigations have reportedly led to the freezing of our client’s accounts and led to untold consequences to our client’s health and well-being.

It is our client’s brief that there was no formal criminal complaint of economic and financial crime as defined by the EFCC Act 2004 written by any person or institution against her which warranted the EFCC to freeze her accounts.

It is also our client’s brief that the EFCC failed to obtain a court order as required by Section 34 of the EFCC Act before her accounts were frozen. It is our client’s further brief that, up until the writing of this open letter, she has not received any formal invitation to appear before the commission for questioning; whereas her accounts domiciled with Skye Bank have since been frozen by the commission without recourse to her.

The argument put forward by the commission in the public domain that, “investigations are ongoing. Mrs. Jonathan shall be invited in due course,” are not only vexatious and provocative. They constitute an outright violation and rape of the fundamental right to fair hearing and ownership of property as guaranteed to our client by the 1999 Constitution (As amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, 2004.

Indeed, Section 36(6)(a) & (b) of the 1999 Constitution (As amended), contains or laid down a sequence or pattern of commencement of investigation which must be followed strictly, to wit: (a) Persons charged with a criminal offence must be informed in the language they understand and in detail of the nature of the offence; (b) Such persons must be given adequate time and facilities for the preparation of their defence; etc

Instead of strict compliance with the above pattern, as laid down by Section 36(6)(a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution (As amended), the EFCC went after our client’s money by ordering a freeze of her accounts. With all due respect, the EFCC is a big thief!

We hereby categorically and emphatically state Patience Jonathan should be left alone!

Furthermore, there is no established legal or political precedent for what the EFCC is currently doing to our client.

How many former first ladies in Nigeria have received the Patience Goodluck Jonathan Treatment (PGJT) to have warranted the EFCC to engage in the effrontery to freeze our client’s accounts and subject her to public opprobrium, ridicule and disgrace?

However, Mrs. Jonathan has been the subject of an EFCC investigation with regards to the source of $15 million found in four accounts with Skye Bank. Though she had previously clarified that the $15million was for her foreign medical bills and other private expenses and she has withdrawn from the accounts until July this year when the accounts were frozen by the EFCC.

Culled from Thecable.ng