Court Orders EFCC To Defreeze Fayose’s Account; We’ll Appeal, Says EFCC
Editor
Posted On Dec 13, 2016
The Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti Tuesday ordered the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to “defreeze Governor Ayodele Fayose’s accounts in Zenith Bank with immediate effect.
This is even as the EFCC has vowed to appeal the order even though it is yet to receive the certified true copy of the court’s decision.
Justice Taiwo Taiwo who held that the anti-graft agency did not follow due process in taking such an action, described the EFCC action as illegal, wrongful, unlawful and unconstitutional: “I hereby give a mandatory order directing the Respondents jointly or severally to immediately de-freeze, unblock and make operational both accounts belonging to the Applicant.”
The accounts were frozen by the EFCC in June, this year. The judge said the EFCC action breached the governor’s fundamental rights to fair hearing, as the commission did not make him a party to the proceedings for the interim freezing of the account.
He said that the EFCC suppressed facts by not disclosing to the court that granted the interim freezing order that the two accounts that were frozen belonged to Governor who enjoys total constitutional immunity.
But the EFCC has vowed to appeal the order saying it contradicts an earlier court order obtained by the commission allowing it to freeze the account.
The attention the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn the order by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state asking it to defreeze the accounts of Governor Ayo Fayose in Zenith Bank.
While the Commission awaits the certified copy of the ruling, it is important to point out that this order contradicts another order by Justice M. B Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos which gave the Commission the nod to freeze the accounts pending the conclusion of investigation.
This order from a court of coordinate jurisdiction was not set aside by Justice Taiwo.
In spite of this, the Commission has taken immediate step to appeal the order by Justice Taiwo.
