A Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has ordered the final forfeiture of N150 million linked to serving House of Representatives member, Nicholas Mutu, to the Federal Government following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice J.O. Abdulmalik delivered the judgment after holding that no satisfactory explanation had been provided to justify why the funds should not be permanently forfeited.
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The ruling followed an earlier interim forfeiture order granted by the court, which also directed that the order be published in a national newspaper to give any interested party the opportunity to contest the application.
The court noted that despite the publication and the expiration of the stipulated period, no individual or organisation presented sufficient evidence to prevent the permanent forfeiture of the funds.
According to the EFCC, investigations linked the N150 million to alleged corrupt practices involving Mutu during his tenure as Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The anti-graft agency alleged that the lawmaker received kickbacks exceeding N400 million from a consultant engaged by the NDDC and that the forfeited N150 million formed part of the proceeds uncovered during its investigation.
After considering the submissions of both parties, Justice Abdulmalik ruled in favour of the EFCC and granted the commission’s request for the final forfeiture of the funds to the Federal Government.