Court Fixes January 25 To Hear Ekweremadu’s Application Over Property Forfeiture

A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed January 25, 2023 to hear the application filed by the former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu over the interim forfeiture of 40 landed properties traced to him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Naija News gathered that Justice Inyang Ekwo of the High Court on Thursday picked the date after arguments from both lawyers of EFCC, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN) and Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) who appeared for Ekweremadu.

The former deputy senate president had filed an application to set aside a November 4 order of the court that 40 of his landed properties be forfeited.

Naija News reported last month that Justice Ekwo granted the EFCC an ex-parte motion, seeking an interim order of forfeiture of some property of Ekweremadu.

The judge granted the motion and ordered that the agency should publish the interim forfeiture order of the properties in a national daily within seven days for interested people to indicate within 14 days of the publication the reason why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

However, Naija News learnt that Ekweremadu’s eldest child, Lloyd, the Anambra State government and a company identified as Uni-medical Healthcare Limited had, on December 5, appeared in court as parties interested in the seized properties.

in a motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1242/2022 and filed by Chief Awomolo, Ekweremadu’s eldest child prayed to the court for an order setting aside the Interim forfeiture order on his father’s property and companies.

Lloyd, in a four-ground argument, said that the facts In support of the EFCC’s ex-parte originating motion “deliberately and fraudulently omitted very critical facts/evidence, which negate the granting of the application.”

He argued that the motion in which the anti-graft agency commenced the action was filed in absolute bad faith.

He alleged that originating a motion ex-parte by EFCC was an abuse of judicial process, oppressive, intimidating and unfair to the parties interested in the property forfeited in the interim.

He said, “the originating motion ex-parte was initiated with the expectation that Sen. Ike Ekweremadu and other persons interested in the property be denied of their right to a fair hearing.”

Also in its application, the Anambra State government said one of the properties listed in the interim order of forfeiture granted by the court belonged to the state.

The state government, through its counsel, Chuks Igbinedion, told Justice Ekwo in the affidavit to show cause why the property should not be forfeited to the Federal Government that “the property listed as No. 1 in Schedule “A” in Page 2 of the interim order granted on 4th day of November 2022, known as No 14/16, Charles Street, GRA Enugu” belonged to the state.

The lawyer said the property neither belonged to Ekweremadu nor his wife, Beatrice, including Power Properties Ltd, their private company.

Also Uni-medical Healthcare Limited, in its affidavit to show cause, appealed to the court to discharge the interim order made against “the property in No. 7 to Schedule “A” of the application.”

The firm’s Regional Manager, Onyebuchi Michael, said the company was the legal owner of the property at Plot 680 and 681, Independence Layout, Enugu in Enugu State “referred to as 23, Umunana Street, Independence Layout, Enugu State.”

Michael noted that the company bought the property from Power Properties Nigeria Limited in the sum of N300 million in August 2021 and the perfection of the title was completed on March 24, which he said predated the EFCC’s application dated and filed on July 27.

They all prayed for the court to set aside the interim order and dismiss the EFCC’s application.