The Federal Government, yesterday, asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to stop the Deputy Senate President, Dr. Ike Ekweremadu, from further selling off his properties. Ekweremadu had earlier approached the court challenging the power of the Public Assets Recovery Panel to seek forfeiture of his properties.

The panel had alleged that Ekweremadu is having some properties within and outside the country not declared in his assets declaration form.However, responding to Ekweremadu’s application, the Federal Government, in a counter affidavit, informed the court that Ekweremadu, in a desperate bid to avoid forfeiting the properties to the Federal Government, has already sold two of his three undeclared properties in Kissimmee, Florida, United States of America.

The counter affidavit, dated and filed on March 26, 2018, was deposed to by Yohanna Shankuk a clerk from the Chambers of Festus Keyamo (SAN).While accusing Ekweremadu of employing delay tactics to frustrate the suit, the government averred that the properties, which were bought in 2008 for $200,000 each, were put on the market in January and sold for $150,000 to the same buyer on February 20, 2018.

The Federal Government further prayed the court to grant the application to enable the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, chaired by Okoi Obono-Obla to also investigate the alleged buyers.

The central government further revealed that the petition that nailed the Deputy Senate President was written by a retired Chief Judge of Federal High Court, Justice Innocent Umezulike. In the petition, dated March 23, 2018, the retired CJ said that he was impelled by civic responsibility to lodge a complaint to the panel to the effect that the lifestyle of Ekweremadu and the massive property he had acquired are not justified by his source of income. (New Telegraph)