Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has denied claims that the federal government is prosecuting Patience Jonathan, or her husband, the ex President of Nigeria.
The EFCC has frozen some $31.4m in an ongoing fraud investigation. The former first lady claims the money belongs to her, and has written to the EFCC to that effect.
Speaking on Tuesday in Kwara state, Lai Mohammed said:
“If you look at the history of Mrs. Patience Jonathan’s issue, I think she was the one that came out to claim that the money found in the accounts of one of the aides to the former President, her husband, belonged to her.
“It was not the EFCC that claimed so. She claimed that the money that the guy was being prosecuted for belonged to her. It was only then they later found an extra $5m in another account.
“It is not as if anybody has gone out to probe Mrs. Jonathan directly or indirectly. Rather Mrs. Jonathan was the one that said ‘that money for which you are accusing Mr. X actually belongs to me. So, you cannot start talking of prosecution or persecution.”
