The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the temporary forfeiture of Flat 7B Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, where the sums of $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23,218,000 were discovered stashed away in iron cabinets and Ghana-must-go bags in April.
Justice Saliu Saidu ordered the forfeiture of the flat to the Federal Government on Thursday following an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Upon making the interim forfeiture order, the judge gave any interested party in the property 14 days to appear before him to show the cause why it should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
He ordered the EFCC to publish the forfeiture order in a national newspaper, to serve as a notice to any interested party.
Justice Saidu adjourned till November 30, 2017, for further hearing.
Joined as the only defendant in the ex parte application by the EFCC was Chobe Ventures Limited, said to be linked with Folashade Oke, the wife of dismissed Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayodele Oke.
The EFCC had earlier named Folashade as the owner of the flat.
The EFCC said it found out that Folashade made cash payment of $1, 658,000 for the purchase of the flat between August 25 and September 3, 2015.
She was said to have purchased the property in the name of a company, Chobe Ventures Limited, to which she and her son, Master Ayodele Oke Jnr., were directors.
The payment for the purchase of the flat was said to have been made to one Fine and Country Limited.
The EFCC stated that Folashade made the cash payment in tranches of $700,000, $650,000 and $353,700 to a Bureau de Change, Sulah Petroleum and Gas Limited, which later converted the sums into N360,000,000 and subsequently paid it to Fine and Country Limited for the purchase of the property.
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