The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has traced N2.114bn to the bank account of Magel Resort Limited, which was allegedly owned by Mrs. Patience Jonathan and her late mother, Mama Charity Oba.
According to the EFCC, the total amount of money traced to Mrs. Jonathan is now N17bn.
Patience, the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, had, last week, filed a N2bn fundamental human rights suit against the EFCC, accusing the anti-graft agency of subjecting her to psychological trauma, unnecessary persecution and going as far as freezing her late mother’s accounts.
However, an interim report of the EFCC, made available to The PUNCH, accused Mrs. Jonathan of perpetrating fraud through some of her non-governmental organisations.
The report adds that at least N17bn, including funds from some government agencies, were paid into the accounts of Mrs. Jonathan’s NGOs.
The report states, “Another company owned by Mrs Jonathan is Magel Resort Ltd. It was incorporated by Mrs. Jonathan’s late mother. But Patience Jonathan became the sole signatory to the account of the company by board resolution upon the demise of her mother.
“Though registered as a resort agency, sources at the EFCC disclosed that the agency was probing the circumstances in which the firm secured over N200m IT contract from the National Information Technology Development Agency.
“The contract was allegedly bankrolled through the National Information Technology Development Fund. Several other persons under investigation for money laundering by the anti-graft agency were discovered to have made payments into the company’s account including a hotelier in Central Area, Abuja, who has been invited for questioning.
“The total sum allegedly laundered through the account of Magel Resort Limited, owned by Mrs Jonathan and her late mother, is put at N2.114bn.
The commission alleged that another NGO, owned by Patience, Ariwabai Aruera Reach Out Foundation, had various accounts but the principal account was domiciled at Diamond Bank.
The EFCC said it stumbled on evidence in which several government agencies made payments into the account.