EFCC operatives reportedly found $175 million in the account of a company, Pluto Property and Investment Limited, that is owned by former first lady, Patience Jonathan. According to the Nation, investigations into the $15.5 million found in four companies that Patience Jonathan has claimed ownership of, led the antigraft agency to the discovery of $175 million deposited into the company's account in four tranches within 14 months — between February 21, 2014 and April 1, 2015.
The money was allegedly deposited by two suspects, Toru Wonyeng Ibuomo and Friday Davies who the EFCC is now looking for..
The money was allegedly deposited by two suspects, Toru Wonyeng Ibuomo and Friday Davies who the EFCC is now looking for..
The anti-graft agency is investigating how the cash was withdrawn from the company's domiciliary account with Skye Bank Plc without any trace of where it was diverted to.
Pluto Property and Investment Limited is one of the four companies convicted on November 2nd for laundering the $15.5million, which Mrs. Jonathan insists belongs to her. The companies convicted by Justice Babs Kuewumi of the Federal High Court are Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited; Seagate Property Development & Investment Co. Limited; Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited and Avalon Global Property Development Company Limited.
Barely two weeks after the conviction of the companies, the EFCC uncovered another $175, 750,000 deposits in the account of Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited. The cash has, however, vanished from the bank.
EFCC detectives discovered that the domicillary account was opened on November 30th 2013 by Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited with account number 2110002238. The company was registered on January 29, 2013 with RC 1092722. The “strange” deposits came within 14 months even as the company had not executed any manjor project.
The deposits are:
- 21/2/2014—$46,500,000
- 24/2/2014—$31,000,000
- 31/3/2015—$49,250,000
- 1/4/ 2015—$49,000,000
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said “The EFCC is probing how the deposits hit the company’s account barely two years after it was registered and without executing any major contract. We are suspecting that this is another slush account where government funds were diverted to. All the deposits were in cash, a development which showed that it was a pure case of money laundering. On the 21st of February, the account was reported to have recorded a cash deposit of $46,500,000 by the General Manager of Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited , Toru Wonyeng Ibuomo. Three days after(24th of February, 2014), another cash deposit of $31,000,000 was made by the same General Manager. Friday Davies made a cash deposit of $49,250,000 into the same account. The last tranche of $49,000,000 was deposited by Davies on Apri 1, 2015.”
The source added that the agency was on the trail of Ibuomo and Davies who deposited the cash into the bank account.
“We need the two depositors to assist in the ongoing investigation of the payments into the affected account. It is more curious when the bank details did not show evidence of withdrawals. Yet the whereabouts of the cash was unknown. We hope it is not a private banking arrangement to hide slush funds.”
The source confirmed that the EFCC would probe the likely roles of the former First Lady in operating the account of Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited.
“In a matter before the Federal High Court, the ex-First Lady admitted that one of her domiciliary accounts was bearing Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited. We are investigating this $175.750million deposits and the extent of the involvement or relationship of the ex-First Lady with the funds. This is a fresh case; it has nothing to do with the $15.5million frozen by the EFCC.
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