A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has granted a final forfeiture order of assets linked to businesswoman, Ms Aisha Achimugu, to the Federal Government.
Justice Jude Onwugbuzie granted the order on Thursday following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the final forfeiture of the assets.
The forfeited properties include jewellery valued at N4.645 billion, 11 exotic vehicles worth N4.293 billion, $50,000 and N30 million cash.
The EFCC, in a statement, said the assets were proceeds of unlawful activities recovered during investigations into financial transactions linked to Achimugu.
According to the commission, investigations commenced after it received financial intelligence indicating significant inflows and outflows involving more than 136 bank accounts allegedly linked to the businesswoman.
The anti-graft agency said the transactions involved billions of naira and millions of dollars, adding that funds passing through companies associated with her were not declared as revenue in financial statements submitted to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The EFCC said the recovered assets were discovered during searches conducted at her residence.
It added that Achimugu was provided with an Assets Declaration Form during interrogation but allegedly failed to declare the recovered properties as part of her assets.
The commission said its findings showed that funds received through accounts linked to her were not traceable to legitimate business activities and that the recovered assets were not acquired from lawful sources.
Following the investigation, the EFCC, through its legal team led by Mr Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, filed an application for an interim forfeiture order in line with provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act.
The court, in granting the final forfeiture order, held that Achimugu failed to disprove the evidence presented by the EFCC and did not establish that the assets were acquired through lawful means.
The court consequently ordered that the properties be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
