Court refuses forfeiture of Saraki’s Ikoyi houses

Justice Liman Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on Thursday, threw out a case by the EFCC seeking final forfeiture order on two Ikoyi houses belonging to a former Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki.

The court had earlier refused to grant the application of the EFCC for a final forfeiture order on No. 17 and 17 A Mc Donald Street, Ikoyi, Lagos, belonging to Saraki, and instead took oral evidence and adjourned.

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This judgment is coming after counsel to the EFCC, Nnaemeka Omewa, and counsel to Saraki, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN) had adopted their respective written addresses for and against the making of the final forfeiture order sought by the EFCC against Saraki’s properties.

In its judgment, the court held that the essence of an interim order of forfeiture was to preserve the property from being dissipated by the suspect and that the burden was on the applicant, the EFCC, to satisfy the court that the property was proceeds of unlawful or illegal activity under the corruption laws.