A Federal Court in Abuja has granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) provisional injunction to freeze four cryptocurrency wallets worth $37 million for alleged money laundering.
Presiding Justice Emeka Nwaite gave the order while delivering judgment on an ex parte application by the EFCC.
The judgment was announced on August 8, according to a certified copy seen by Journalists on Tuesday.
According to the document, the commission wanted a total of $37,061,867,869.3 in cryptocurrency frozen.
Of the total amount, the bulk of the assets is $37 million, followed by $443,512.37, $967, and $90. The hearing included dialogue between the judge and the O.S. Ujam, the EFCC counsel, who said no arguments or objections were raised on the application.
The EFCC said the assets are proceeds of money laundering and terrorism financing.
“That an order of this honourable court is hereby made freezing the wallet addresses/accounts stated in the schedule below, which wallets are owned by individuals currently being investigated for offenses of money laundering and terrorism financing, pending the conclusion of the investigation,” the judge ruled.
However, the agency did not disclose the identity of the wallet owners in the application.
On April 19, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the EFCC to freeze at least 1,146 individual and corporate bank accounts for “unauthorized foreign exchange”.
The commission also investigated individuals and companies on suspicion of “money laundering and terrorism financing”
