EFCC APPEALS COURT RULING UNFREEZING OZEKHOME's FROZEN BANK ACCOUNT

Mike Ozekhome, SAN

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has headed for the Court of Appeal to challenge the unfreezing of the Guaranty Trust Bank
account of Chief Mike Ozekhome ( SAN ) by the Federal High Court in Lagos .

The order unfreezing Ozekhome ’ s account into which he received N 75 m legal fee from the Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose was made on Monday by Justice Abdulaziz Anka.

Though the EFCC had claimed that the N75 m was proceeds of criminal activities by Fayose , Justice Anka on Monday held that Ozekhome could not be held liable for receiving the money as legal fee from Fayose because there was no restriction on Fayose ’ s account when the payment was made .

Justice Anka then subsequently vacated his own order of February 7 , 2017 in which he restrained Ozekhome from accessing the N 75 m in his account .

Not pleased , however , the EFCC has gone before the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn Justice Anka’ s decision.

The EFCC ’ s lawyer , Mr . Rotimi Oyedepo , contended that Justice Anka erred in law in ordering the unfreezing of Ozekhome ’ s account .

He prayed the appellate court to set the lower court ’ s ruling aside .

The EFCC had, in the application taken before Justice Anka, claimed that the N 75 m which Fayose paid to Ozekhome was part of the N 2 . 26 bn arms procurement funds , which a former National Security Adviser, Col . Sambo Dasuki ( retd . ) , allegedly looted

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