The Nigerian government has filed an application before the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking for interim forfeiture of monies and properties allegedly traced to an official of Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF).
The chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel on Recovery of Public Property (SPIP), Okio Obono-Obla, on Wednesday, disclosed this during a press conference at the panel’s headquarters in Abuja,
The panel alleged that the monies and properties were traced to Goody Nnadi, the General Manager, Corporate Services of (PEF).
Mr Obono-Obla said the agency believes the monies traced to Mr Nnadi accounts are beyond his legitimate income as a civil servant.
”We think is beyond his earning as a civil servant and also for the forfeiture of the monies in those accounts, many properties including hotels in Owerri, and bank accounts.”
He added that during the investigation, Mr Nnadi confessed to helping some oil companies to get an allocation from NNPC and in return, the companies paid some money into his accounts.
He said Mr Nnadi “as a wealthy civil servant has the capacity to do mischief to the investigation if urgent steps are not taken to preserve the properties.”
The SPIP traced monies that went into the accounts of Mr Nnadi from 2011 to 2019 to the tune of ”N2.2billion, $302,964, €11,000 Euro and £2,000 pounds sterling.”
The SPIP said: “two documents of landed property, $1,000 and €200 Euros were recovered” from the civil servant.
The agency added that Mr Nnadi was quizzed but has been released on bail.
”He is presently undergoing Senior Executive Course (SEC 41, 2019) at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Plateau State.
According to the court document, the court granted the interim forfeiture of Mr Nnadi. He has 30 days to convince the court that he got the properties legitimately.
The accounts traced to Mr Goddy are at Standard Chartered Bank; Ecobank Guarantee Trust Bank; Fidelity Bank; Zenith bank; Access Bank; First Bank; Oceanic International Bank; Union Bank and United Bank for Africa.
The court document filed on July 23 also says Mr Nnadi cannot withdraw or make a posting on all his accounts from his ten accounts within that period pending the completion of the investigation.
A date was fixed for the hearing of the motion.
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