Properties located in Maryland,USA , Abuja, Kaduna Zamfara
Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, gave an interim order forfeiting 10 properties of former Governor of Zamfara, Abdulaziz Yari, to the Federal Government.
The development comes a year after another Federal High Court ordered the final forfeiture of N278.9 million, including dollars, traced to the governor.
Some of the properties are located in the highbrow areas of Abuja, Kaduna, Zamfara and Maryland in the United States of America.
Justice Egwuatu gave the order of forfeiture following an ex-parte motion moved by counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Osuobeni Akponimisingha
He held that after carefully reading through the ICPC’s motion, exhibits attached and other processes, he was inclined to grant the order.
The Judge said that the court was empowered to grant the application going by the relevant sections of the law and the money laundering act.
According to him, granting the application will not deny anyone a fair hearing.
Also,,he directed that this should be published in the Nation and Daily Trust Newspapers and that the interested party should file an application to show cause why the property should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
,Thereafter,,he adjourned the matter until April 28 to hear the motion for final forfeiture.
Last year,a Federal High Court in Abuja under the ruling of Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu also ordered forfeiture of N278.9 million in ,3 separate bank accounts of the former governor.
The forfeiture order include N12.9 million in a Zenith Bank account of the ex-governor and N11.2 million in the Zenith bank account of Kayatawa Nigeria Limited, a company allegedly owned by him.
Yari also forfeited $358, 375, amounting to N135.4 million when converted to local currency, to the Federal Government.
This was made up of $56, 056 in the Polaris Bank account of Kayatawa Nigeria Limited and $301, 319 in the Zenith bank account of B.T. Oil and Gas, another company linked to the former governor.
The final forfeiture order include the sum of N217, 388 and $311, 872 (N118.5 million) kept in different Zenith Bank accounts of the former governor and his companies
Additional reports culled from NAN
