A Nigerian court has convicted four firms
allegedly used by a former aide of ex-
president Goodluck Jonathan to launder $15.5
million in suspected stolen funds.
Federal high court judge Babs Kuewumi said
the conviction of the property and investment
companies — Pluto, Seagate, Transoceanic
and Avalon — on Wednesday in Lagos came
after they pleaded guilty to money laundering
in September.
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) had in July frozen the
accounts of the companies and seized $15.5
million (14 million euros) while investigating
Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, Jonathan’s former
domestic assistant, over money laundering.
But then Patience Jonathan, the wife of the
former Nigerian leader, sued the EFCC,
claiming ownership of the money found in
several accounts in local banks.
Jonathan, who has not been charged over the
money laundering, said she had been
withdrawing the money from the accounts to
pay for her overseas health expenses.
Directors of the indicted companies had in
September pleaded guilty to money laundering
but Dudafa and two others, lawyer Azubike
Briggs and banker Adedamola Bolodeoku,
pleaded not guilty.
EFCC prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo asked the
court to order that the money be forfeited to
the government but that was refused by the
judge, who deferred his ruling until the trial of
Dudafa and the other suspects, which he
adjourned to mid-December.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who defeated
Jonathan in the 2015 vote, has launched a
wide-ranging campaign against corruption
targeting key members of the previous
administration.
Former ministers, prominent party chiefs,
media owners and relations of the former
president are in court over similar charges.
The focus on officials from the former ruling
party has led some critics to claim Buhari is
using the anti-graft crackdown to silence
political foes, an accusation dismissed by the
government.
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