Former President Goodluck Jonathan has faulted reports the Media to the effect that a Judge in the US has granted the Nigerian Government’s request to investigate his bank accounts in the US.
In a statement signed on his behalf by his Special Assistant on Media, Ike Eze, the former President admitted that a subpoena was granted, but said it is of no effect at all because there is no such account anywhere in the world, either in his name or in the name of proxies.
The statement reads:
“Our attention has been drawn to reports in some online news sources that a New York federal judge, Lorna Schofield, has granted access to US bank accounts of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We wish to state that these reports are misleading and untrue.
“Yes, Judge Lorna Schofield has granted the subpoena applied for by the Federal Government of Nigeria seeking to verify if former President Jonathan, and other named persons, have bank accounts in the United States of America.
“No, the court did not grant access to the bank accounts of former President Jonathan, because the former President has no bank accounts in the United States, or any other country in the world, either in his name or in the name of privies.
“It will be recalled that when the news of the subpoena broke last month, we did not only restate the fact that former President Jonathan has no accounts in the United States but also urged the US authorities to grant Nigeria’s application by providing the requested bank records.
“It is expedient to mention that the subpoena was approved several days ago. Consequently, we urge those who implemented the subpoena to tell Nigerians and the world whether or not they found any bank accounts in the name of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we will continue to reiterate that whether in or out of office, former President Jonathan does not have any property or bank account outside Nigeria.
“Finally, be it known to the public that interested journalists can themselves make a Freedom of Information application to peruse the documents discovered by this subpoena. This is important because Nigerians deserve to know the outcome of these investigations.”
