The saga involving former First Lady Patience Jonathan and the over $19.8m the EFCC says she can’t account for has refused to go away with the former First Lady now claiming that two of the accounts belonged to her late mother.
According to the Nation, Mrs. Jonathan’s counsel, Mr. Charles Ogboli, revealed that only 3 of the 5 accounts in dispute could be traced to Dame Patience and her mother.
Mr. Ogboli who is the third lawyer in three weeks to speak on behalf of Dame Patience said; “That is not true. The First Lady did not hold five accounts. They are three accounts. The First Lady was the signatory of one account and the mother was a signatory to the other two accounts.
“These accounts were not on a company’s name; it is on a personal data name of the First Lady. If you check, the BVN showed clearly on a personal name.
“And if you go through the BVN, it shows that it is her personal account; it is not connected with the companies facing trial.
“The First Lady was never privy to the companies standing trial. The money that is in the account ($5 million) should be left to the First Lady.”
He also claimed that Mrs. Jonathan was against the use of unknown companies to open accounts for her which Dr. Dudafa Waripamo-Owei Emmanuel did.
He said; “What I am trying to say is that the domestic servant, Dudafa, who was asked to open accounts, went ahead to use a company’s account which the First Lady discovered and said I am not part of this.
“She said ‘I am not a director of this company, neither am I a shareholder. I did not present any certificate of incorporation, I didn’t ask them to open any account using a company or companies’. The discovery was made between 2013 and 2014 and immediately she kicked against it.
“ So, you don’t link her with the company that she does not know anything about.”