Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division has ordered the interim forfeiture of 10 properties belonging to the former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari.
The judge made the order on Wednesday following an ex-parte brought before the court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC),
The properties are located in Maryland in the United States of America, Abuja, Kaduna and Zamfara.
What happened in court
Osuobeni Akponimisingha, counsel to ICPC had moved the motion for the forfeiture of the properties.
Justice Egwuatu said the sections of the money laundering Act empowered him to grant the application. He said granting the order will not deny Mr Yari the right to a fair hearing.
He then granted the order for the interim forfeiture of the 10 properties. He held that the interim order would subsist for 60days to enable ICPC to round up its investigations.
He ordered ICPC to published the order in The Nation and Daily Trust newspapers to enable anyone who has interests in the properties to come and show cause within 14 days why they should not be forfeited to the federal government.
He then adjourned the matter till April 28 to hear the motion on the final forfeiture.
What you should know
- The ex-parte motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1342/2021 was brought pursuant to Section 17(1),(2),(3), and (4) of The Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006; Section 48(1),(2) and (3)(a) and (b) of the ICPC Act, among others.
- ICPC avered that N350 million was withdrawn from Zamfara State govt account to Mr Yari’s personal account on May 27 2019 (two days before Mr Yari handed over) and on May 28, he moved the money to a real estate firm’s account to acquire 15 units of three bedrooms at Lokogoma in Abuja.
- Counsel to ICPC told the court that he had filed as exhibit, a copy of the judgement of January 26, 2021 where the court had ordered a final forfeiture of funds belonging to Mr Yari.
- He said the receipt for the part payment of the property which Mr Yari paid to the firm dated May 29, 2019 was also filed as exhibit before the court.
- ICPC also claimed that on May 16, 2019, Mr Yari awarded a N4.8 billion contract and another N5 billion contract to the real estate firm from which he acquired the 15 units properties for the construction of some roads in Zamfara.
- Aside from the 15 units property in Lokogoma, Abuja, others include Plot 3281, Maitama (AQ96), Abuja; Plot 1308, Maitama (A@S), Abuja and seven-bedroom duplex at Nwora Close, Maitama, Abuja.
- Also affected by the order for interim forfeiture is a four-bedroom duplex at Justice Fatai Williams, Asokoro, Abuja; two-bedroom compound at Talata Marafa, Zamfara; seven-bedroom duplex at Owena Close, Yederam, Maitama, Abuja; seven-bedroom at No 14806, Bowie Firm Cort, Maryland, United States of America and FIRM CORT, MARYLAND, USA, 106 bedrooms at Kinkino Crescent, Kaduna.
This former Governor should be tried under sharia law they intoduced, if a man in Zanfara who steal just one chicken and got his hand cut off. We await what the judgement shoulf be for former Governor who is indicted of stealing Zamfata state money that can buy millions of Chickens.
Former Governor Abdulaziz Yari should be tried under sharia law they intoduced, if a man in Zanfara who steal just one chicken and got his hand cut off. We await what the judgement should be for former Governor who is indicted of stealing Zamfara state money that can buy millions of Chickens.