Officials
of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have dug deep to reveal
how much Dame Patience Jonathan earned as a civil servant in Bayelsa
State.
Ex-First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan
Following investigation into how the ex-First Lady, Dame Patience
Jonathan acquired nine houses, two hotels and one plaza during the
tenure of her husband, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission has dug deep to reveal what the ex-first
lady earnead monthly as a Permanent Secretary.
The anti-graft commission has retrieved her monthly salary records
and other allowances accruable to a Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa
State.
According to The Nation,
the EFCC revealed that Patience Jonathan earned N700,000 monthly as
salary. The agency has thus accused her of engaging in fraud because the
amount seem too small to be used in acquiring properties and assets
worth millions of dollars in her possession.
Although she allegedly claimed that the $15million in her accounts
was a gift, the EFCC might demand records of those who showered her with
the cash gift.
It was unclear as at press time whether or not the EFCC will seize
the affected properties in line with Assets Forfeiture Clause in its
2004 Establishment Act.
Preliminary investigation had linked the following assets to the
former First Lady: Port Harcourt - Former Customs Service officers
mess; two duplexes at 2/3 Bauchi Street; landed property with blocks at
Ambowei Street; 3 Luxury apartments of 4-bedroom each at Ambowei Street;
and Grand View Hotel along airport road.
Others in Yenagoa are two marble duplexes at Otioko GRA by Isaac
Boro Expressway; Glass House along Sani Abacha Expressway which is
housing Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board; Akemfa Etie
Plaza by AP filling Station, Melford Okilo Road; and Aridolf Resort,
Wellness and Spa along Sani Abacha Expressway.
Detectives were however said to be probing if the affected assets
were declared to the Code of Conduct Bureau by Mrs. Jonathan as a former
Permanent Secretary.
The Bureau said her assets declaration form was in its office in Bayelsa State and not Abuja.
A reliable source said: “Our operatives are still going ahead with the investigation of the former First Lady.
“So far, our detectives have retrieved her pay slip which
showed that after all deductions, she was on monthly salary of N700,000.
It is left to her to justify how the salary was able to fetch her
assets.
“We demanded for her pay status in line with Section 7 of the
EFCC Act. She was a former Permanent Secretary, who earned salary at the
end of the month. She managed public trust and she has to account for
it.
“We will also look into her assets declaration forms when she
assumed office and after she left. If these assets are pleaded, we will
proceed to the next stage of our investigation.”
Section 7 of the EFCC Act says: “The commission has power to
(a) cause any investigations to be conducted as to whether any person,
corporate body or organization has committed any offence under this Act
or other law relating to economic and financial crimes.
“(b) Cause investigations to be conducted into the properties
of any person if it appears to the commission that the person’s
lifestyle and extent of the properties are not justified by his source
of income.”
Asked if the assets will be seized, the source added: “We are yet to get to this bend of investigation.
“But we have read report where she claimed that the $15million
in her account was a gift. Then the onus is on her to submit a list of
the sources of the gift.”
But the source claimed that detectives stumbled on a petition
against her appointment as a Permanent Secretary. It was written by a
civil servant who felt the civil service rules and regulations were
violated.
“The aggrieved civil servant alleged that promotion of the
ex-First Lady from an Assistant Director to a Permanent Secretary was
done without any promotion examination.
“He also said the ex-First Lady did not spend up to a year as a
director before she was promoted. He said the extant laws are clear
that she ought to spend at least four years before moving to the next
Grade Level.
“But some in Bayelsa State claimed that appointment of
Permanent Secretary is at the discretion of a governor. They said it is
basically political.
“You can see that there are many dimensions to her case. In
fact, in her file, the Head of Service of Bayelsa State simply wrote:
‘Promote her all the same.’ We have certainly gone far on her.”
On her assets declaration form and exit form, a source in CCB said: “All her forms are in our office in Bayelsa where she was a Permanent Secretary.”
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