THE Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said it has secured the final forfeiture of $919,202.07 fraudulently kept in an interest yielding bank account by some staff of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt in Rivers State.
This is contained in a statement posted on the website of the ICPC on Thursday stating that the staff of the Federal High Court involved in the illegal transaction includes the Chief Registrar and Deputy Registrar of the Court.
According to ICPC, the fund was recovered from three respondents including the Chief Registrar, the Deputy Registrar of the Federal High Court and the Station Road, Port-Harcourt Branch of Union Bank of Nigeria.
The anti-graft agency added that the recovery followed a petition against some officials of the court for alleged violation of ICPC Act 2000, the Commission’s special investigation team uncovered the money, “being the sum of confiscated, value and sold vessel hidden in a bank account”.
ICPC said an ex-parte motion for an Interim Order of Forfeiture of the fund was granted earlier in November 2020 following an investigation into the matter.
Ruling on the application for final forfeiture of the fund, Mohammed Sani, a Judge at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt said the commission had justified with evidence reasons for final forfeiture of the contentious money.
Sani ordered Union Bank, Station Road Branch, Port-Harcourt to pay the money into the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account as it belongs to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Although the names of the Court Staff were not disclosed, on to the website of the FHC in Nigeria; Mba N.A. Omotosho is the deputy chief registrar of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94