Patience Jonathan dragged to Code of Conduct Bureau over $22m accounts

Nigeria’s former First Lady Patience Jonathan has been dragged to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to explain how she got the $22.3 million she is claiming.

Mrs Jonathan had approached court to claim the money found in the accounts of four illegal companies domiciled in Skye Bank.

The accounts and the money had been frozen by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

Come clean

A private legal practitioner, Mr Osuagwu Ugochukwu, now wants to know if Mrs Jonathan declared the seized cash as required by law when President Goodluck Jonathan left power on May 29, 2015.

The Abuja-based lawyer is asking CCB to come clean on whether former President Jonathan declared the money to which his wife was now laying claims.

CCB, in a media advertisement, had asked President Jonathan, his Vice and 42 ministers in his Cabinet to declare their assets within 30 days before exiting office.

Usually, every public servant declares what the spouse earns and must have acquired as asset in their public servant declaration forms.

The edifice

The former first lady had in a letter to EFCC, requested lifting the restriction placed on the accounts.

Patience Jonathan admitted that she was the sole signatory to the four accounts in the Skye Bank and the accounts were card-based.

Meanwhile, EFCC has filed a suit seeking to prosecute the fronts used by Patience to loot Nigeria’s money.

A $500 million four star hotel in Abuja traced to her has been grounded pending investigation to determine how she got money to build the edifice.