Show Of Shame: Court Freezes Delta London Paris Club Account

The long arm of the law has allegedly caught up with the Mr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa-led government in Delta State as the Federal Capital Territory High Court has ordered the freezing of the Paris-London Club refund bank accounts of the state.

The Court also ordered that the account of Abia and Cross River states also be freeze.

Delta, it was learnt is indebted to the tune of $27,274,135 and N3 billion as the State government also engaged the services of Mauritz Walton Nigeria Ltd in exchange of 30 per cent of any fund recovered..

Justice Yusuf Halilu issued the order on August 3, 2017, sequel to an affidavit in support of an ex-parte originating summons sworn to by Dr. Maurice Ibe, Chairman and Managing Director of Mauritz Walton Nigeria Ltd, and filed before the court by his counsel, Alex Marama, Charles Ude, and Kenneth N. Esquire.

The suit was as a result of the debt owed by the three states, which had engaged a consultancy film to pursue the refund of excess deductions on foreign loans and miscellaneous charges in exchange of certain percent of any fund recovered.

The court in the document, also ordered the banks to set up an escrow account where the funds in the respective bank accounts would be deposited, pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.

In the affidavit, Ibe averred that there is an urgent need for the court to direct the third defendants (United Bank for Africa PLC and Zenith Bank Nig. PLC) in the case between Mauritz Walton Nigeria Ltd and the three state governments to, in the interim, stop further disbursement of the money already in or accruing to the Paris-London Club refund accounts of the three states.

Justice Halilu adjourned the suit till September 7, 2017 for hearing. Reacting to the development, Delta State government said it was yet to get details of the judgment.

It would be recall that The Nigerian Voice had exclusively reported the alleged diversion of N3 billion from the N10 billion released by the federal government to the state from the Paris Cub Refund by Okowa ahead of the 2019 general election to stage his comeback to government house.

Meanwhile, a press conference scheduled for Tuesday at the Press Centre of the Old Government House has been concealed following the order to freeze the account by the court.