The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered the final forfeiture of the Abuja mansion acquired by a former governor of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye to the Federal Government.
Dariye is currently serving a jail term following his prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on charges of criminal breach of trust and dishonest conversion of about N1.2billion belonging to Plateau State.
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Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in his judgment dismissed an application by Dariye in which he had among others, prayed the court to release the property known as :Plot 1802 A04, No: 19 Fredrick Chiluba Close, Asokoro, Abuja to him.
Justice Egwuatu upheld the argument by EFCC lawyer, Oluwaleke Atolagbe that Dariye’s claim that the property belonged to his company – Ebenezer Retnan Ventures – was false because the said company has been found to be a bogus entity.
The judge found that an earlier interim forfeiture order on the property, obtained by the EFCC in the course of Dariye’s trial, was never contested.
The EFCC had, while opposing Dariye’s application, argued among others, that it obtained an interim forfeiture order in respect of the property in the course of Dariye’s trial, which order was to subsist pending the conclusion of the trial.
It added that since the trial has been concluded and Dariye jailed, it was proper that the court order the final forfeiture of the convict’s known property.
The Supreme Court had on the 12th of March, 2021 affirmed that there is credible evidence that the respondent was masquerading in the name of Ebenezer Retnan Ventures, an unregistered company to cause wrongful gain to himself.
Editor: Oloyede Oworu
