A federal high court, Abuja, has fixed January 25, 2023, for ruling on the application of former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, seeking an order to set aside the November 4 interim forfeiture order on 40 landed properties linked to him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, fixed the date on Thursday, December 15, after Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), who appeared for Ekweremadu, and the EFCC’s lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir (SAN), argued their case for and against the application.
Recall that Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, were on June 23, 2022, arrested in the United Kingdom (UK) by London police, and charged with conspiracy for trafficking one David Ukpo to the country in order to harvest organs.
They were accused of trafficking Nwamini to the United Kingdom (UK) for the purpose of transplanting his organ to their daughter who suffers from kidney failure.
In a turn of events, Ukpo, who is the victim of trafficking, told doctors that he was 15 years old, adding that he was coerced by the Ekweremadus into donating his kidney.
However, the Nigerian government said that all its records showed that Ukpo was not a minor, and was 21 years old.
Justice Ekwo, on November 4, granted the anti-graft agency’s ex-parte motion, seeking an interim order of forfeiture of 40 landed properties of Ike Ekweremadu.
The judge also ordered EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order of the properties in a national daily within seven days.
He directed anybody who had an interest in the forfeited properties to indicate within 14 days of the publication, adding that the person(s) must be able to clearly state the reasons why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the federal government.
Ike Ekweremadu’s eldest child, Lloyd, the Anambra state government and a company, Uni-medical healthcare limited, on December 5, appeared in court as parties interested in the seized properties.
They all asked the court to set aside the interim order and dismiss the EFCC’s application.
Lloyd, in a motion on notice, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1242/2022, asked the court for an order to set aside the interim forfeiture order on his father’s properties and companies.
Lloyd, in a four-ground argument, said that the facts in support of the EFCC’s ex-parte originating motion “deliberately and fraudulently omitted very critical facts/evidence, which negate the granting of the application.”
He argued that the motion in which the anti-graft agency commenced the action was filed in absolute bad faith.
According to Lloyd, the originating motion ex-parte was an abuse of the judicial process, oppressive, intimidating and unfair to the parties interested in the properties forfeited in the interim.
Also in its application, the Anambra state government said that one of the properties listed in the interim order of forfeiture granted by the court belonged to the state, The Nation reports.
The state government, through its counsel, Chuks Igbinedion, told Justice Ekwo in the affidavit that “the property listed as no. 1 in schedule A in page 2 of the interim order granted on November 4, 2022, known as No 14/16, Charles Street, GRA Enugu, belongs to the state.”
The lawyer said that the property neither belonged to Ekweremadu nor his wife, Beatrice, including Power Properties Limited, their private company.
Besides, Uni-medical healthcare limited, in its affidavit to show cause, urged the court to discharge the interim order made against “the property in no. 7 to schedule “A” of the application.”
The firm’s regional manager, Onyebuchi Michael, averred that the company was the legal owner of the property at Plot 680 and 681, Independence layout, in Enugu state.
He said that the company bought the property from Power Properties Nigeria Limited with the sum of N300 million in August 2021 and the perfection of the title was completed on March 24, 2022.