More trouble as court upholds final forfeiture of $13m linked to Aisha Achimugu

Achimugu

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday affirmed the final forfeiture of $13 million linked to Lagos socialite, Aisha Achimugu, and her company, Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Ltd, to the Federal Government.

Delivering judgment, Justice Emeka Nwite held that the funds had been sufficiently established by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as proceeds of fraud and unlawful activities.

The court gave the ruling in a suit instituted by Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Ltd, which sought to reclaim the funds.

Justice Nwite held that the company failed to satisfactorily explain the source of the money, noting that the EFCC met all legal requirements to justify its forfeiture.

The judge dismissed claims that the $13 million constituted gifts received by Oceangate through Achimugu, adding that Achimugu did not appear before the court to justify why the funds should not be forfeited.

He further observed that no individual who allegedly made the monetary gifts was called to testify.

According to the court, the applicant failed to discharge the burden of proving legitimate ownership of the funds or to counter the EFCC’s position that the money was proceeds of fraud. Punch