$15m: Judgment on Delta vs FG for Sept 20 on July 11, 2013 at 12:14 am in News Abuja—Federal High Court, Abuja, has set September 20 for judgment in a suit filed by Delta Government against Federal Government over ownership of $15 million. The money is alleged to belong to a former governor. Justice Gabriel Kolawole gave the date, yesterday, after counsel to the parties adopted their addresses. The respondents in the suit are Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. Kolawole said the parties had 21 days within which to file the addresses, while the plaintiff (Delta State Government) had another 14 days to respond to issues bordering on point of law. He said: “In the circumstance, therefore, the judgment is reserved for September 20.” Delta State had approached the court to claim ownership of the $15 million. Adopting his address, Chief Charles Ajuyah, the Attorney-General of Delta State, submitted that the idle money belonged to the state. He said the state had sought the return of the money because “the money was taken from the coffers of the state government.” Ajuyah argued that the plaintiff had reflected, in its affidavit, possible sources where the money could have been taken from. He said: “My Lord, precedence has been set by the decisions of several courts at various times when monies recovered from former governors of Plateau and Bayelsa states were repatriated to the respective states. “In fact, EFCC and the Federal Government are not in court to claim the money because the respondents are aware that the money belongs to Delta State. “My Lord, we are taken aback that the money, which is a source of controversy, was not listed as exhibit and placed before the court.” In adopting his address, Mr. Rotimi Jacob (SAN), the counsel to the EFCC, said the plaintiff failed to trace the source of the money to the state. Jacob submitted that the allusion made to the recovered Plateau and Bayelsa states’ monies by Ajuyah was wrong, because the two states were able to convince the court and the sources of those monies were traced. He said: “In the case of Delta, no convincing traces have either been captured in their affidavit or orally presented before the court. It is our conviction that the plaintiff has no proof of ownership and therefore must be denied access to the money.” 
Posted on: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 07:28:46 +0000
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