Explain why you freeze Fayose's account, Court orders EFCC, Zenith bank

…vacates restricting order On state’s PDP Excos

The Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti has ordered the Economic and Financial

Crimes Commission and the Zenith Bank plc to show cause why an Order

Exparte to defreeze Governor Ayodele Fayose’s accounts, filed yesterday to

the court by the governor’s legal team, should not be granted.

The judge gave Monday July 4 for the anti-graft agency and Zenith bank Plc

to appear in court with the said evidence.
Mr Mike Ozekhome (SAN), had through an exparte order deposed to on the

24th of June, 2016 by Bimpe Olatemiju sought a mandatory order de-freezing

the accounts belonging and operated by him pending the determination of

his interlocutory application.
Joined in the suit are the EFCC (1st defendant) and Zenith bank (2nd

defendant). The order was supported by 18-paragraph affidavit , a lone

Exhibit, which was a letter issued to Governor Fayose by Zenith bank

confirming that the EFCC actually placed a restriction order on the

accounts and a written address .
He also sought the leave of the court for the service of the originating

summons on the defendants in  their various addresses outside the

jurisdiction of the court as contained on the order papers, supported by

17-paragraph affidavit.
Ozekhome said the order was brought pursuant to order 26 rule 8(1) of the

Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rule 2009 and Section 44(1) of the 1999

constitution which gives the court the discretionary powers to adjudicate

on such matter.
Citing the case of Abdulaziz Nyako Vs EFCC to buttress his position that

the anti-graft agency has no power to freeze Fayose's account without

valid court order, Ozekhome added the action was a flagrant negation of

the Section 308 of the constitution, which conferred absolute immunity on

the government against civil and criminal procedure.

He said it was appalling that the EFCC could play ostrich to these valid

constitutional requirements and took cognizance of the African Charters on

Human and People's Rights before taking the punitive stand against Fayose,

adding that these infractions had rendered the action unconstitutional,

wrongful , null and void .
Delivering his ruling, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, said that he quite understood

that the applicant (Fayose) enjoys immunity and that the court can

adjudicate on this matter as canvassed by the counsel to the plaintiff,

but he pointed out that the relief he basically sought was a mandatory

order of the court.
“I quite agree that the applicant has immunity pursuant to provisions of

the constitution, but it is glaring that the application he is requesting

for is a mandatory order to undo what had already been done and the court

can't abdicate its duty under this circumstance.
“I am of the opinion that this mandatory order is better granted with the

interlocutory order being sought through an application pending before the

court , because the applicant has filed all papers to this effect.

“I hereby ordered the 1st and 2nd respondents to appear before this

honourable court on July 4, 2016 and show cause why the order should be

refused.
“This is not a refusal of the order, I have not refused it, but I only put

it in abeyance which I said without prejudice to what will be the position

of the respondents .
“But a leave is granted for the service of the defendants with the

originating summons in their respective addresses as contained on the

order papers”, the Judge ruled.
Describing the presiding judge as very at home with the law and a highly

experience lawyer, Ozekhome said told newsmen that: “our motion was an

exparte for the de-freezing and removal of restriction placed on citizen

Ayodele Fayose ‘s two accounts with the Zenith Bank Plc.

“The bank claimed through a letter made available to our client that it

acted on the instructions of the EFCC and we are here by way of

originating summons to say that the EFCC has no powers, whether under the

EFCC Act, money laundering Act, under the constitution or any other known

law to freeze the accounts of a sitting governor who enjoys immunity under

section 308 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999as

altered because that section makes it clear that for the time that person

is in that office, the President, Vice-President, Governor and

Deputy-Governor he enjoys absolute immunity from any civil or criminal

procedure and that no court process can issue against such person.

“So, EFCC could not have obtained an order Exparte to freeze his account,

if they did that, it is illegal, null and void. It could also not have

frozen his accounts without having an order Exparte, ” he said.

Asked what would be the the legal team’s next step should the EFCC fails

to honour the court’s order on Monday, July 4, Ozekhome said the

government agency cannot dare a Federal High Court’s order.

In a related development, the same court today, vacated an Order of

Exparte sought by the factional Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples’

Democratic Party (PDP) allegedly loyal to Senator Buruji Kashamu

restricting the executives of the party in Ekiti, loyal to governor

Fayose, from parading themselves as authentic Excos of the party.

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