GEJ: I Have No Account, Property Outside Nigeria

Former president, Goodluck Jonathan, has insisted that he does not own any bank accounts or property abroad.

Jonathan stated this in a statement issued on Saturday by his media adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, in reaction to a report that claimed that lawyers representing the Federal Government, in a London court filing, accused him of accepting bribes in order “to broker a $1.3 billion oil deal eight years ago”.

He dismissed the report on the controversial Malabu oil deal as a recycled falsehood that is blatantly dishonest, cheap and predictable.

“Former President Goodluck Jonathan did not ask for or collect any bribes, neither has he been charged for asking or collecting bribes, neither will he ever be charged with asking for or collecting bribes, because such never happened.

“That this particular dispute predated the Jonathan administration and survives it. That former President Jonathan is 61 years old and throughout his life has never opened an account, nor owned property outside Nigeria,” he said.

The statement added, “In fact, we expected something like this ever since it was announced that former President Jonathan would lead the Election Observation Mission of the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa to South Africa’s national and provincial elections.

“We are well aware that this claim was intentioned to eclipse the goodwill and positive reports of former President Jonathan’s diligent engagement in South Africa’s national and provisional elections.

“The fact that most major media houses in the country refused to republish this falsehood bears out our conviction that Nigerians can no longer be deceived by hollow and diversionary claims of corruption, in the face of worsening state of affairs in the country.

“We have always made it clear that beyond this wave of conjecture, former President Jonathan was not linked, indicted or charged with collecting any monies as kickbacks or bribes from ENI by the Italian authorities or any other law enforcement body the world over.

“It bears repeating that the documents relating to the transactions and decisions of the Federal Government on the Malabo issue, during the Jonathan administration, are in the relevant Government offices, where they are accessible.

“We would like to point out that all the actions taken by the Jonathan administration in relation to activities in the oil industry were legally conducted by relevant Nigerian Government officials and were carried out in the best interest of the country.”

The statement added that whether in office or out of office, former president Jonathan still “does not own any bank account, business or real estate outside Nigeria”.