The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has restricted the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) from freezing suspicious bank accounts beyond 72 hours.
This is contained in a statement sent to WikkiTimes by Media Rights Agenda (MRA), a leading press freedom organisation in Nigeria on Monday.
The Lawyers Network Against Corruption (LNAC) has instituted a lawsuit challenging the ICPC’s powers to freeze bank accounts without court orders whcih it described as unconstitutional.
The presiding Judge, Justice James Omotosho, ruled that allowing the ICPC to freeze accounts for up to one year is “totally unreasonable and usurps the powers of the Court”, noting that “this power is likely to be abused because the freezing may last longer than necessary, thereby, causing injustice to some of the account owners.”
Despite the ICPC Act, which warrants the Commission to order banks to freeze accounts under investigation, the court held that only courts of law hold the power to issue such orders.
The judge added that the ICPC Chairman’s power to direct banks to freeze accounts without a court order can work injustice to account owners and is likely to be abused.
The judgement acknowledged the ICPC’s duty to battle corruption but emphasized that this must be balanced against citizens’ rights.
He cited the Money Laundering Act, which grants similar powers to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) but limits the freezing period to 72 hours.
 has instituted a lawsuit challenging the ICPC's powers to freeze bank accounts without court orders whcih it described as unconstitutional.){kind=link}