Frozen Account: EFCC Defeats Fayose At Appeal Court

The Court of Appeal sitting in Ado Ekiti has granted the appeal filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against the 2016 judgment of Justice Taiwo. O Taiwo of Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti division that Governor Fayose’s frozen accounts by the anti-graft agency should be unfrozen.

Recall that Fayose’s two accounts with the bank was on June 20, 2016 frozen on the orders of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) through an exparte order received from Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos on the allegation that the money therein were ‘proceeds of crime’.

The Ekiti State Governor after the judgment in December 2016 went to the bank to withdraw a sum of N5m from his account after the court’s order to unfreeze his accounts.

The governor famously declared then, “I came to the bank after serving them with the court order and I made up my mind that I won’t leave the bank until my money is given to me. And the bank has done the needful by giving me part of the money, confirming that they have obeyed the court order.

“I want to thank Nigerians and my supporters for believing in our cause that Nigerians should not be oppressed. The rascality of EFCC must stop. And I want to thank the EFCC for obeying the court order. They placed order on two accounts, one has N82 million, the other has N300 million. I have collected N5 million now.

“I’m not closing the accounts, but if they attack my accounts again, I will make trouble with them, big trouble. If EFCC is appealing the court jugdement that is their funeral. As a sitting governor, my immunity is absolute just like that of the President.”

The lead judge to the three-man appeal court panel, Honourable Justice J.S Ikeyegha directed the freezing of the account of Mr. Fayose forthwith.