FEDERAL HIGH COURT ORDERS EFCC TO RETURN BUKOLA SARAKI’S ILORIN PROPERTIES
A federal High Court on Thursday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to return two houses in Ilorin belonging to former Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
Recall that on December 2, 2019, the EFCC secured an interim order for the forfeiture of houses belonging to Senator Saraki on Plots No. 10 and No. 11 Abdulkadir Road, GRA, Ilorin, Kwara State, claiming that the properties were acquired illegally with funds belonging to Kwara State.
Saraki, through his lawyer Kehinde Ogunwumiju SAN opposed the forfeiture action and arguments were taken on February 27.
Delivering judgement today July 16, the presiding judge, Justice Rilwan Aikawa, reversed the Court’s earlier temporary forfeiture order.
Justice Aikawa held that the EFCC’s claim that the property was acquired through looted funds was based on mere suspicion and assumption. Therefore, the Court dismissed the application by the EFCC to order a final forfeiture of the houses based on lack of substantive evidence.
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