Saraki Battles To Reclaim Properties From EFCC In Court

Former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, in an application filed before a Federal High Court in Lagos, is urging the court to dismiss a suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seeking permanent forfeiture of his Ilorin houses that have been temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
In seeking the order of the court, Saraki contended that the suit was an abuse of court processes.
He described the suit as a ploy by the EFCC to review the July 6, 2018, decision of the Supreme Court “discharging him from culpability arising from the same money and houses which are the subject matter of this suit.”
EFCC, in a suit filed before the court, claimed that the houses – Plots No. 10 and No. 11 Abdulkadir Road, GRA, Ilorin, Kwara State – were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities allegedly perpetrated by Saraki while he was Kwara State Governor between 2003 and 2011.
The presiding Judge, Justice Rilwan Aikawa had on December 2, 2019, ordered the temporary forfeiture of the houses to the Federal Government, thereafter adjourned for Saraki to appear before him to give reasons why the houses should not be permanently be forfeited to the Federal Government.
However, in a response filed by his lawyer, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), through a preliminary objection, challenging the territorial jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit, Ogunwumiju said the new suit by the EFCC was an abuse of court processes because it was filed at a time when a suit on the same subject matter was still pending at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He contended that in the Abuja suit, the presiding Judge, Taiwo Taiwo had on May 14, 2019, made an order for parties to stay action on the subject matter pending the determination of originating motion on notice pending before him.