Mike Ozekhome, whose account was frozen last week by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has said that the action was a calculated attempt to ridicule him for defending Governor Ayodele Fayose in court.
The lawyer has vowed to challenge the EFCC in court in due course and ensure the reversal of the action.
A federal high court had placed restriction on the lawyer’s account which contained N75m domiciled at the GTB alleging the sum was a crime money.
Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti yesterday, the lawyer accused the anti-graft agency of turning out to be instrument for political oppression and intimidation against perceived opponents of the All Progressives Congress-led federal government.
He said: “I can’t be ruffled for this action , because I have not done
illegal , illegitimate or illicit or something out of ordinary.
Governor Fayose paid me my professional fee , which was a sum of N75m out of the humongous amount owed me over cases I am holding for him, his aides and friends.
“I am currently prosecuting eight cases on his behalf . The one involving Abiodun Agbede and Zenith bank, Femi Fani-Kayode’s wife and others. As a professional, I had given my professional fees but the governor could not pay because his accounts had been frozen by EFCC, which makes the governor financially strangulated.
“But last year December, Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court unfrozen and unblocked the account. He then transferred the money into my Chambers’ account .
“In recent time, I had defeated EFCC in five different cases and so it has developed a complex for me and they thought they can embarrass me. When has payment of legal fee become or translated to a commission of a crime?
“The transfer of money was not done by force, or done under false pretence or through the barrel of gun. The money is legitimate and legal. EFCC is bringing itself to the level of becoming the enemy of the people.”
Ozekhome said he has been a consistent critic of Buhari’s government and this he said he did out of the passion for the liberation of the downtrodden Nigerians.
He, however, said that n every criticism, he had always proffered solutions adding that he had always been speaking for the rejected, dejected, depressed, oppressed, repressed and the hapless in the society.
“So, this allegation of money laundering by EFCC is insidious, odious and invidious and it came from the pit of hell.”
The lawyer said he will soon file a suit against EFCC for the reversal of the action.
