The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the temporary freezing of four Jaiz Bank accounts belonging to the former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, following allegations of fraud and money laundering.
Justice Emeka Nwite issued the order yesterday while ruling on an ex parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and argued by its lawyer, Ogechi Ujam.
Although the EFCC had urged the court to freeze the accounts for 60 days to enable it to conclude the ongoing investigation, Justice Nwite limited the tenure of the order to 30 days, which he said could be renewed if necessary.
Ujam had told the court that the temporary freezing order was necessary because the accounts were being investigated in a case of conspiracy, abuse of office, and money laundering involving Kyari, pending the conclusion of the investigation.
”The lawyer identified the four account numbers in Jaiz Bank as: 0017922724 with account name Mele Kyari; 0017922724 with account name Mele Kyari; 0018575055 with account name Guwori Community Development Fund; and 0018575141 with account name Guwori Community Development Foundation Flood Relief.”
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In his ruling, Justice Nwite said: “I have listened to counsel to the applicant and gone through the affidavit evidence with the exhibits and the written address attached.
“I find that this application is meritorious and it is hereby granted as prayed.”
The judge adjourned till September 23 for the EFCC to report on further developments.
The anti-graft commission predicated its motion on three grounds, to the effect that the bank accounts are subject matters of ongoing investigation by the commission concerning alleged misappropriation of funds and criminal breach of trust.
The EFCC said its preliminary investigation revealed that the bank accounts are linked to the suspect, who took advantage of the complainant to be a contract facilitator and launderer of proceeds of unlawful activities.
According to the commission, there is “a need to preserve the funds in the identified bank accounts pending the conclusion of the investigation and possible prosecution.”
It stated, in a supporting affidavit, that officials of its Special Investigations Section (SIS) unit received a petition, dated April 24, and filed by a group, the Guardian of Democracy and Rule of Law, against Kyari.
The EFCC disclosed that its ongoing investigation uncovered about N661,464,601.50 suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities, which were kept across four bank accounts.
According to the commission, the funds were traced to Mele Kolo Kyari, the former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), who allegedly operated multiple accounts with Jaiz Bank. These accounts, investigators said, served as channels for questionable inflows from the NNPC and several oil companies linked to the corporation.
According to The Nation’s report, the anti-graft agency further claimed that the accounts were not managed directly by Kyari but were instead controlled through members of his family, who acted as fronts to conceal his financial dealings.
