P&ID: You Cannot Subpoena What Does not Exist, Jonathan Tells FG, Insists that He Does Not Have Foreign Bank Accounts

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he was not contacted by the Federal Government before subpoenas were issued to him and his wife regarding their foreign bank account statements as the subpoenas were not necessary.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesman, Ikechukwu Eze, the former President insisted that he does not have foreign bank accounts. Jonathan was responding to news report on Bloomberg that the statement of accounts of Jonathan, his wife; former Ministers of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke and Rilwanu Lukman, were being demanded from 10 US banks by the Federal Government.

“We aver that the Federal Government of Nigeria did not contact Dr. Jonathan or his wife before issuing these subpoenas. If they had, we would have advised them of the fact that you cannot subpoena what does not exist.

“We also remind the public that on March 5, 2014, during the swearing in of new ministers, then President Jonathan said “I am loyal to Nigeria’s economy. I don’t have accounts or property abroad.

“We are confident in stating that between that time and now, nothing has changed with regards to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. He has no accounts in the United States of America, and encourages US authorities to cooperate fully with the Federal Government of Nigeria’s subpoena,” the statement said.

“We would also like to state that during his tenure as President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan extended every courtesy to former Presidents and Heads of state, because he believed and still believes that promoting, projecting and protecting Nigeria’s sovereignty and image is the paramount duty of her government, because it is not possible to belittle Nigerians without belittling Nigeria.

“Finally, we state that the signing of the P&ID contracts preceded the Jonathan administration, and that that government gave appropriate counsel to the incoming government in the handover notes of 2015, which advice, if carried out, would have prevented the current unfortunate circumstances” the statement added.