LAGOS JULY 14TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property on Saturday said it had sealed suspicious assets and properties belonging to Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, located in Warri and Asaba in Delta State as well as others in Lagos State and Abuja respectively.
The presidential panel said it carried out the action following the recent ruling of a Federal High Court in Abuja which ordered an interim forfeiture of properties belonging to Nwaoboshi, who represents Delta North Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
A statement issued by Mr Emmanuel Nwachukwu, the Media Adviser to the Chairman of the panel, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, said the panel acted on the basis of the ruling of the court for the forfeiture of the assets.
Delivering the judgment in suit no FHC/ABJ/CS/1127/18 filed by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property on behalf of the Federal Government, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, also placed a post-no-debit order on 22 bank accounts linked to Nwaoboshi.
The embattled lawmaker was recently referred to the Office of the Department of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel led by Chief Okoi Obono-Obla for allegedly making false assets declaration in his Form CCB1 submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau.
According to the ruling, 14 properties and 22 bank accounts linked to the senator are to be temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government.
Aside from sealing off the properties, the Panel also wrote to several banks including Zenith International Bank Plc; United Bank of Africa; Sterling Bank Plc and Access Bank Plc to block Senator Nwaoboshi from operating multiple accounts maintained by him in these banks pursuant to the order of the interim forfeiture given by the court.
Some of the properties sealed by the Presidential Panel included: Summing Electrical Company located at Asagba along Asaba Airport Road, Asaba, Delta State; PON filling station along Asaba Airport Road, Asaba, Delta State, and a multibillion naira estate under construction at Maryam Babangida Road, Asaba, Delta State.