Lagos Court declines motion seeking final forfeiture of Saraki’s properties

By our reporter| The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Monday declined a motion seeking the final forfeiture of two properties belonging to Bukola Saraki, Nigeria’s immediate past Senate President.

At the resumed hearing of the case brought against Saraki by the EFCC, Justice Mohammed Liman turned down the move over insufficient and conflicting affidavit evidence filed by the anti graft agency.

According to the judge, the documents put before the court by the EFCC in support of the final forfeiture order were insufficient and that the documents did not establish any link showing that Kwara State government funds were used to repay Saraki’s loan.

Justice Linman, therefore, asked the EFCC to call its witnesses at the next adjourned date, to give oral evidence to resolve the inconsistencies and contradictions in its documents.

Lawyers to the former Senate President would also get an opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses.

The judge, who also dismissed a preliminary objection filed by the former Senate President, assumed jurisdiction to hear the suit and subsequently fixed September 29 for the next hearing.

In the suit, the EFCC had asked the court to order the final forfeiture to the Federal Government of Nigeria, Saraki’s properties situated at 17 & ‪17A, McDonald Road in the Ikoyi area of Lagos.

At the last sitting of the court on March 5, the EFCC counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, who moved the application for the final forfeiture, told Justice Liman that the properties were acquired with a loan obtained from Guaranty Trust Bank and paid back by money suspected to have been diverted from the coffers of the Kwara State government.