The
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Thursday, said it has
taken possession of 48 properties of the former governor of Bayelsa
State, Timpre Sylva, who is being prosecuted at a Federal High Court in
Abuja for alleged misappropriation of N6.46 billion state funds when he
was governor of the state.
The
EFCC said the interim forfeiture order to seize Mr. Sylva’s properties
was granted by A. R Mohammed, judge of the Federal High Court, on
December 21, 2012.
Assets
belonging to the former governor against which a forfeiture order was
obtained by the EFCC include a mansion at 3 River Niger Street, plot
3192 Cadastral zone AO, Maitama District Abuja; nine units (comprising
six apartments of one bedroom and three apartments of two bedroom) at 8
Sefadu Street Wuse zone 2, plot 262 Cadastral zone AO2, Wuse Abuja; 2
units duplexes at 5 Oguta Street, plot 906 Cadastral zone Wuse 11 Abuja.
Others
are a duplex at Plot 1271 Nike Street Cadastral zone AO5, Maitama
District Abuja; a duplex at Phase 1 Unit No. 1 (Villa 1) Palm Springs
Gold Estate, Cachez Turkey Projects Limited, Mpape, Abuja; 10 units of
one room apartments at 8 Mistrata Street plot 232 Cadastral zone Wuse 11
Abuja; five units duplexes at Plot No 1070 Dakibiyu District Cadastral
zone B10, Abuja; 16 units service apartments at Plot 1181 Thaba Tseka
Crescent, Off IBB Way, Wuse 11, Abuja; and three units of three bedroom
flats at No. 1 Mubi Close, Plot 766. Cadastral Zone A01, Garki, Abuja.
Mr. Sylva was first arraigned on Tuesday June 5, 2012.
The
first three of the six count charge against him by the EFCC reads: “
That you, Timpre Sylva, as Governor of Bayelsa State, with others now at
large, sometime between October, 2009 and February, 2010, at various
places in Nigeria, including Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the
Federal High Court did conspire to commit a crime to wit: conversion of
properties and resources amounting to N2,000,000,000.00 (Two Billion
Naira) belonging to Bayelsa State Government and derived from an illegal
act, with the aim of concealing the illicit origin of the said amount
and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(a) of the
Money Laundering (Prohibition Act), 2004 and punishable under Section
14(1) of the same Act.
“That you, Timpre Sylva, as Governor of
Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the 22nd of
January, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High
Court, converted the sum of N380,000,000.00 (Three Hundred and Eighty
Million Naira), property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the
account of one Habibu Sani Maigidia, a Bureau De Change Operator with
Account No. 221433478108, in Fin Bank, Plc, which sum you knew
represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the aim of concealing
the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and you thereby
committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money Laundering
(Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section 14(1) of the
same Act.
“That you, Timpre Sylva, as Governor of
Bayelsa State, with others now at large, on or about the 5th of
February, 2010, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the Federal High
Court, converted the sum of N50,000,000.00 (Fifty Million Naira),
property of the Bayelsa State Government, through the account of one
Enson Benmer Limited with Account No. 6152030001946, in First Bank, Plc,
which sum you knew represented the proceeds of an illegal act with the
aim of concealing the nature of the proceeds of the said illegal act and
you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 14(1) of the Money
Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004 and also punishable under section
14(1) of the same Act.”
Sylva denies EFCC’s claim over possession of property
But the former governor of Bayelsa state, Timipre Sylva, has denied the claims by the EFCC.
Mr. Sylva’s Media Advisor, Doifie Ola, in a statement, Thursday evening, denied that such an order was ever granted.
“Justice A.R. Mohammed never granted
any temporary asset forfeiture order to the EFCC on 21 December 2012.
Rather he directed EFCC to put Sylva on notice and the substantive
matter is fixed for 10 January 2013,” Mr. Ola said.
Mr. Sylva’s media advisor described the
claims by the EFCC as “completely misleading…and is in line with EFCC’s
known bully-boy tactics and media hysteria”.
He added that Mr. Sylva’s assets are
intact, and fully covered by the order validly issued by M.M. Kolo,
judge of the Abuja High Court on December 27, 2012.
Mr. Ola said Mr. Sylva had applied to
the court for “an interim order of court for the service of the
originating process on the respondent to serve as a stay of all actions
in respect of the properties – plot no 262, Cadastral Zone A02, Wuse 1,
District, Abuja, plot 3192, located within Cadastral zone A06 Maitama
District, Abuja, plot 232, Cadastral Zone A07,(No. 8 Mistrata Street;
Wuse II, Abuja) – by the respondents, their agents, privies,
representative or any other person deriving his/her authority from them;
either by sealing off, confiscating, ejecting any person from the
properties, trespassing into the properties or doing any other thing how
ever so described relating to the said properties pending the hearing
and determination of the motion on notice.”
He said the application was granted and hearing in the matter is fixed for January 4.
One of Timipriye Sylva’s seized properties
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