Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the temporary freezing of four Jaiz bank accounts linked to the immediate-past Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr Mele Kyari, over alleged fraud.

The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, made the order yesterday after the counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ogechi Ujam, moved an ex parte motion to the effect. Ujam had told the court that investigations were ongoing on the matter and that the Commission would need some time to conclude its findings.

The judge, in his ruling, held that the application was meritorious and granted it, saying: “I have listened to the counsel for the applicant and gone through the affidavit evidence with the exhibits and written address attached. I found that this application is meritorious and it is hereby granted as prayed,” he said and adjourned the matter till September 23 for report.

The EFCC had, in the motion ex-parte marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1641, filed on August 11, sought an order freezing the bank accounts, stated that the accounts were owned by the suspect (Kyari), “who is currently being investigated in a case involving the offences of conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering pending the conclusion of the investigation.”

The accounts include: Jaiz Bank account number 0017922724 with account name Mele Kyari; Jaiz Bank account number 0017922724 with account name Mele Kyari; Jaiz Bank account number 0018575055 with account name Guwori Community Dev. Fund; and Jaiz Bank number 0018575141 with account name, Guwori Community Development Foundation Flood Relief.

The anti-graft agency argued that the bank accounts in respect of which the reliefs were sought were subject matters of investigation by the Commission in relation to misappropriation of funds and criminal breach of trust.

It also said preliminary investigation conducted thus far revealed that the bank accounts were linked to the suspect, who took advantage of the complainant to be a contract facilitator, laundering proceeds of unlawful activities.

In the affidavit attached to the motion, Amin Abdullahi, an EFCC investigator attached to the Special Investigation (SIS) Unit, said the agency received a petition dated April 24 and filed by Guardian of Democracy and Rule of Law against Kyari.

He said he was a member of the team assigned to investigate the matter and added that upon receipt of the petition, his team carried out investigations, which included seeking and obtaining bank records from commercial banks.

According to Abdullahi, the investigation so far carried out revealed that N661,464,601.50, which are suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities, are warehoused in four different accounts.