The Judge was misled into granting this order – Saraki reacts as court orders forfeiture of his Ikoyi houses
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.
Read below ;
My attention has been drawn to an Order granted by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos pursuant to an ex-parte application by @officialEFCC
It is my belief that the Judge was misled into granting this Order and was not presented with the full position of the law or the facts
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.
I also believe that the Court was not made aware that the property in question formed part of the judgment of the Court given on July 6, 2018 where the Supreme Court declared that the source of funds for the purchase of the property was not illicit as claimed by the prosecution.
The Supreme Court specifically referred to No 17a McDonald Road, Ikoyi on pages 12, 13 and 26 of its judgment upholding the no-case submission made before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
I am confident that once these facts and the declaration of the Supreme Court are brought before the Court, this Order will be vacated. My lawyers will be approaching the Court immediately to achieve this.
