The House of Representatives Committee on Public petitions on Tuesday berated the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for delayed investigations and disobeying of court orders over the unfreezing of Patience Jonathan’s bank accounts.

The Committee Chairman, Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, accused EFCC of forum shopping and also chided the agency not to use ex-parte orders as a sword or defence.

He further accused the EFCC of carrying on like a persecuting agency, stressing that allowing investigations of the accounts of the former First Lady to run for almost two years without conclusion, amounted to corruption and persecution.

The Federal High Court in Abuja, had on December 5, ordered the unfreezing of 16 separate bank accounts linked to wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Her lawyers however accused the EFCC of prevailing on the banks not to carry out the court order.

Accusing EFCC of promoting corruption, the chairman said: “Allowing an investigation of a matter to run for two years without conclusion amounts to corruption. If you spend more than one year investigating a matter, how long will it take you to prosecute. You must convince Nigerians that you are prosecuting and not persecuting.”

Details to follow…