Alleged fraud: Court freezes Bank accounts linked to Mele Kyari

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, ordered the temporary freezing of four Jaiz Bank accounts linked to Mr Mele Kyari, the immediate-past Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over allegations bordering on fraud.

Justice Emeka Nwite made the order after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s lawyer, Ogechi Ujam, moved an ex-parte motion to the effect.

Ujam had told the court that investigations were ongoing on the matter and that the commission would need sometime to conclude its findings.

Justice Nwite, therefore, held that the application was meritoriously and accordingly granted.

“I have listened to counsel to the applicant and gone through the affidavit evidence with the exhibits and written address attached.

“I found that this application is meritorious and it is hereby granted as prayed,” he said.

The judge adjourned the matter until Sept. 23 for report.

9news Nigeria reports that the EFCC had, in the motion ex-parte marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1641, dated Aug. 8 but filed Aug. 11, sought an order.

The commission prayed the court for an order freezing the bank accounts stated in the schedule.

It said the accounts are owned by the suspect (Kyari), “who is currently being investigated in a case involving the offences of conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering pending the conclusion of the investigation.”

These include: Jaiz Bank account number: 0017922724 with account name: Mele Kyari; Jaiz Bank account number: 0017922724 with account name: Mele Kyari; Jaiz Bank account number: 0018575055 with account name: Guwori Community Dev. Fnd and Jaiz Bank number: 0018575141 with account name: Guwori Community Development Foundation Flood Relief.

The anti-graft agency said the application was brought on three grounds.

It argued that the bank accounts in respect of which the reliefs are sought are subject matters of investigation by the commission in relation to misappropriation of funds and criminal breach of trust.

It also said that the preliminary investigation conducted thus far revealed that the bank accounts are linked to the suspect who took advantage of the complainant to be a contract facilitator and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities.

“That there is need to preserve the funds in the identified bank accounts pending the conclusion of investigation and possible prosecution,” it added

In the affidavit attached to the motion, Amin Abdullahi, an EFCC investigator attached to the Special Investigation (SIS) Unit, said the agency received a petition dated April 24 and filed by Guardian of Democracy and Rule of Law against Kyari.

He said he was a member of the team assigned to investigate the matter.

“That upon receipt of the petition referred to in Paragraph 4 above, my team carried out several investigation activities which included seeking and obtaining bank records from commercial Banks,” he said.

The investigator said it also included seeking and receiving corporate details from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in respect of the corporate bodies that featured in the case; inviting and interviewing persons and representatives of companies and persons who featured in the investigation; amongst other activities.

Abdullahi said the investigation so far carried out revealed the following:

“That N661,464,601.50 (Six Hundred and Sixty One Million, Four Hundred and ) which are suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities warehoused in four different accounts.

“That, these funds were traced to the suspect Mele Kolo Kyari, who is the former Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

“That the suspect opened various accounts in Jaiz Bank which has been used to receive suspicious inflows from NNPC and various oil companies that have dealings with NNPC.