$242m Scam: Anajemba Appeals Forfeiture of Properties
From Lillian Okenwa in Abuja
One of the suspects facing trial for defrauding a Brazilian bank of $242 million, Mrs. Amaka Anajemba has filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, Abuja challenging the refusal of a Federal High Court to discharge an interim order forfeiting her properties.
She filed seven grounds upon which the court of appeal should vacate the high court order.
One of the grounds is that the high court erred in law for refusing to discharge the order despite the fact that the main suit upon which the application for forfeiture was predicated had been determined.
Her counsel, Chief Chris Uche said, in the notice of appeal, "It was wrong for the trial judge to refuse to discharge the said ex-parte order upon the determination of the matter it was predicated upon, and even so to refuse to do so three months after the determination of the matter."
The second ground was based on the allegation that the judge that made the order did so in violation of Anajemba's right to fair hearing.
Uche said that the order should not have been granted ex-parte giving the fact that Anajmeba was within the court's jurisdiction and could have been served with the notice of the application.
The court of appeal is yet to fix a date for hearing.
Anajemba had unsuccessfully applied to the Federal High Court to set aside the ex-parte order obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for forfeiture of her assets
She argued that all the properties listed against her name and upon which the court relied in granting the ex parte order belonged to third parties who were not standing trial.
She also challenged the jurisdiction of the court to grant the order on the ground that she was already facing trial before the Chief Judge of the Abuja High Court, Justice Lawal Gumi.
EFCC May 26 this year, obtained an order from the Federal High Court freezing the banks' accounts of Chief Emmanuel Nwude, Anajemba and Nzeribe Edeh Okoli, three suspects charged with defrauding a Brazilian Bank to the tune of $242 million.
EFCC was acting on information that some of the suspects were making clandestine moves to dispose their properties because they are likely to forfeit same to the state in the vent that they are found guilty.
The following properties belonging to one of the suspects, Chief Nwude the commission listed the following properties for forfeiture;
36 Ikoyi Crescent, Ikoyi, Lagos, 60 Marina, Lagos, 34 Bourdilion Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, 43 Afribank Road, Victoria, Lagos, 80 Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos and 3/5 Abagana Close, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos,
Others are 37/39 Awka Road, Onitsha, Anambra State, Russel Centre, Wuse, Abuja FCT. 60 Chime Avenue, Enugu, Enugu State, 2 Trans-Ekulu Avenue, Enugu, Enugu State, Petrol Station at Oye Agu, Abagana, Anambra State and F22 Sani Abacha Road, GRA Phase 111 Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Vehicles sought to be forfeited allegedly owned by Nwude are, BMW, registration number GA823 AAA, Honda Acura registration number DE712KJA, Mercedes Benz, registration number DJI 70AAA, Porsche, registration number CP524AAA, Jaguar, registration number CA340KJA, BMW, registration number CH238 SMK and Mercedes Benz registration number, CE511LND.
He was said to have 65,119 ordinary shares in Union Bank of Nigeria Plc. The shares were registered in different names.
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