.Appeal Court says anti-graft agency can’t
freeze gov’s bank accounts
The Appeal Court sitting in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, June 20, 2017, dismissed the application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for injunction restraining the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose,
from operating his accounts in Zenith Bank Plc, describing the application as lacking in merit.
The Appeal Court said, “EFCC did not come with clean hands on the
application for injunction it filed because it suppressed material facts, for example that a similar application the EFCC filed was earlier refused by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Ado
Ekiti,” agreeing with Fayose’s Counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), that the entire application filed by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, was entirely unmeritorious.
On December 13, 2016, Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti had ordered the EFCC to immediately unfreeze the accounts of
Governor Fayose, saying the action of the EFCC was against due process and that the anti-graft agency did not follow the laid down regulations in freezing the governor’s accounts.
EFCC had appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court and sought an injunction, restraining the governor from operating the accounts pending the determination of the appeal.
Dismissing the appeal , the Appeal Court, in a unanimous ruling delivered by Justice Fatima Omoro Akinbami said that the EFCC did not attach notice of appeal and the Federal High Court Ado Ekiti judgment of December 13, 2016, which ordered the anti-graft agency to unfreeze the governor’s account that the EFCC appealed against.
The court also said that the alleged damning intelligent report by the EFCC, which it claimed to have received concerning money purportedly paid into Governor Fayose’s account by Senator Musiliu Obanikoro was
not provided nor attached for the court to see.
The appeal court agreed with Governor Fayose’s counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), that “Fayose, being a sitting governor covered with immunity under Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution as admitted by
EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, has been shown to have been tried nor found guilty by any court of law such as to tagged his bank accounts as proceeds of crime.”
The court described EFCC’s claim on the receipt of an intelligent report concerning money purportedly paid into Fayose’s account by Senator Musiliu Obanikoro as mere speculation, saying, “the court does not embark on speculation.”
The Appeal Court also held that since the EFCC had admitted that N80 million had already been withdrawn from the accounts, saying that Chief Ozekhome was right to say that the act had already been completed and an injunction cannot be granted for act already completed.
Describing the judgment as another victory over tyranny,
Ozekhome hailed the judiciary for standing firm in protecting rule of law in the country.
He said that EFCC must learn to act within the laws of the country and stop hiding under anti-corruption fight to commit illegalities.