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Tag: Diezani Alison Madueke

  • U.S recovers $53m fraud proceeds linked to Diezani, Aluko, Omokore

    U.S recovers $53m fraud proceeds linked to Diezani, Aluko, Omokore

    The final resolution of two civil cases seeking the forfeiture of the luxury assets that were laundered in and through the country in a case involving Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources, and her associates, has been announced by the U.S Justice Department.

    The US government in 2017, filed a suit to recover $144 million in assets that were purportedly acquired with proceeds from a shady scheme in Nigeria’s oil industry.

    It was alleged at the time that Kola Aluko, a Nigerian businessman, and Jide Omokore, chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited paid bribes between 2011 and 2015 to Diezani in exchange for contracts.

    She then allegedly used her position to secure contracts for Aluko and Omokri’s shell companies through a subsidiary of the defunct Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), now the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

    The US department of justice in a statement released earlier this week, disclosed that the forfeited assets which are “proceeds of foreign corruption offenses” include $53.1 million in cash, plus a promissory note with a principal value of $16 million”.

    The statement added;

    “According to court documents, from 2011 to 2015, Nigerian businessmen Kolawole Akanni Aluko and Olajide Omokore conspired with others to pay bribes to Nigeria’s former minister for petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who oversaw Nigeria’s state-owned oil company.

    “In return, Alison-Madueke used her influence to steer lucrative oil contracts to companies owned by Aluko and Omokore. The proceeds of those illicitly awarded contracts totaling more than $100 million were then laundered in and through the United States and used to purchase various assets through shell companies, including luxury real estate in California and New York as well as the Galactica Star, a 65-meter superyacht.

    “The real estate was also used as collateral for loans to Aluko and shell companies he controlled. As part of the forfeiture process, those lien holders were paid.”

  • Diezani Renews Bid To Reclaim Forfeited Properties

    Diezani Renews Bid To Reclaim Forfeited Properties

    The former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke has initiated a process at the Federal High Court Abuja to have the forfeiture orders of the Federal Government on Properties Allegedly linked to her vacated.

    The Federal Government had last year secured orders for final forfeiture of properties in Nigeria and abroad allegedly linked to the former Minister of Petroleum Resources.

    In a fresh motion filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja by her lawyer and senior advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, Alison-Madueke wants among others, an order extending the time within which to seek leave to apply to the court for an order, setting aside the public notice issued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct the public sale on her property.

    She said the motion is intended against the notice recently issued by the EFCC for disposal of forfeited assets, some of which included those belonging to her.

    In a supporting affidavit also, the former minister noted that the EFCC planned to conduct a public sale of all forfeited, beginning from January 9 as contained in its public notice following various court judgments/orders issued in favour of the commission as final forfeiture orders against property and personal effects linked to her.

    Seeking five reliefs, Alison-Madueke argued among others that she was not heard before the orders for forfeiture were issued, thereby denying her the rights


    She added that the forfeiture orders made in respect of assets linked with her were issued by the various courts without jurisdiction.

    Alison-Madueke added, “The various court orders issued in favour of the EFCC and upon which they issued the public notice to conduct public sale of items contained in the public notice, most of which affect her interest, were issued in breach of the right to fair hearing as guaranteed by Section 36 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, as altered, and other similar constitutional provisions.”

    She further stated that she was neither served with the charge sheet and proof of evidence in any of the charges nor any other summons howsoever and whatsoever in respect of the criminal charges pending against her before the court.

    The ex-minister added further that the courts were misled into making several of the final forfeiture orders against her assets through suppression or non-disclosure of material facts.

    In its counter affidavit, the EFCC faulted Alison-Madueke’s arguments, noting that, not only was she represented in some of the proceedings, publications were made in the media to alert interested parties about pending forfeiture applications.

    An EFCC official, Rufai Zaki, who claimed to be part of the team that investigated a case of criminal conspiracy, official corruption and money laundering against Mrs. Allison-Madueke and some others involved in the case, said investigation showed that she was involved in some acts of criminality.

    He added that the forfeiture orders made in respect of assets linked with her were issued by the various courts without jurisdiction.

    Zaki stated that, following the findings of his team, Mrs. Alison-Madueke was charged before the Federal High court in a charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/208/2018.

    He said the courts differently ordered the commission to do newspaper publications, inviting interested parties to show cause why the said property should not be forfeited to the Federal Government before final orders were made.

    Zaki recalled that one Nnamdi Awa Kalu represented the ex-minister in the hearing of one of such forfeiture applications.

    He added that not only was the order for the forfeiture of the effected properties made since 2017, and was not set aside on appeal, the assets in question have since been disposed of through due process of law.

  • Diezani’s properties, others auctioned by EFCC

    Diezani’s properties, others auctioned by EFCC

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has called on Nigerians to bid for some property which have been forfeited to the federal government.  

    The property, located in Lagos, Rivers, Abuja, Anambra, Gombe, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Cross River, Osun and Oyo states, were seized from politicians and businessmen.  

    It was gathered that some of the property in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt reportedly belonged to a former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke, said to have been acquired by the proceeds of financial crimes. 

    In a public notice by the anti-graft agency on Saturday, individuals and corporate organisations who are interested in the said property must not have been prosecuted by the commission.  

    It added that bid forms should be downloaded from the EFCC website: www.efcc.gov.ng, noting that bidders were invited to inspect the property. 

    The property includes Flat 1, Heritage Court Estate, Rivers State; a three-bedroom apartment unit with one-room boys’ quarters located at Foreshore Estate off Onikoyi road, Ikoyi, Lagos State among many others.

  • Court orders final forfeiture of over $2.7m Diezani’s Abuja homes, cars

    Court orders final forfeiture of over $2.7m Diezani’s Abuja homes, cars

    Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court, Abuja Monday ordered the final forfeiture of two Abuja property and two luxury cars belonging to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to the Federal Government.

    The judge gave the order forfeiting the assets to the federal government while ruling on the application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Suit No. 1122/2021 and Suit No 1123/2021, asking for the final forfeiture of the assets.

    The Commission had on November 29, 2021, secured the interim forfeiture of the assets in a ruling on a separate motion ex-parte, filed on September 27, 2021, which prayed the court to order the interim forfeiture of the assets on the grounds of reasonable suspicion that they were proceeds of unlawful activities.

    The two property are located at Plot 1854 Mohammed Mahashir Street, and No. 6, Aso Drive, in the highbrow Asokoro and Maitama Districts of Abuja and are valued at $2,674,418USD and N380, 000,000 respectively.

    The luxury cars are a black BMW saloon with Chassis No B8CV54V66629 and registered number, RBC155 DH and a black Jaguar saloon car with Chassis No SAJAA.20 GRDMv43376, valued at N36,000,000

    In granting the interim forfeiture Order, Justice Olajuwon had ordered the EFCC to publish a notice in a national newspaper, inviting anyone with interest in the assets to show cause why they should not be finally forfeited to the federal government.

    The court consequently adjourned till January 22, 2022, for a report.

    In compliance with the Order of the Court, the Forfeiture Order was published in Thisday Newspaper of Wednesday, April 6, 2022.

    In the absence of any contestation of the Interim Order, the Court, today, forfeited the property to the federal government.

  • EFCC Uncovers Additional $72.8m Linked To Diezani

    EFCC Uncovers Additional $72.8m Linked To Diezani

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has uncovered an additional $72, 870,000 million linked to the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

    The sum was said to have been discovered in an account domiciled in Fidelity Bank Plc.

    Consequently, a former Managing Director of the bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo, has been arrested.

    Okonkwo, who is currently the Chairman of First Bank Holding, alongside others, had earlier been grilled over a sum of $153million and $115million by the Commission.

    While all the $153 million was recovered by the EFCC, the cases involving $115million, as it relates with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, bribery matter, are in various courts.

    Okonkwo and Charles Onyedibe are currently being detained by the EFCC over the whereabouts of the new $72.8m.

  • Diezani loses bid to recover $40m jewellery seized by FG

    Diezani loses bid to recover $40m jewellery seized by FG

    The Court of Appeal has dismissed an application by former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to overturn the forfeiture of her $40 million worth of jewellery seized by the Nigerian government.

    The Lagos Division of the appellate court on Friday ruled that her suit, against the July 19, 2019 judgment of the Federal High Court, lacks substance.

    Justice Nicholas Oweibo then ordered the seizure following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Diezani’s appeal is marked CA/L/1263/19. The schedule attached to the application listed jewellery categorised into 33 sets.

    The breakdown: “419 expensive bangles; 315 expensive rings; 304 expensive earrings; 267 expensive necklaces; 189 expensive wristwatches.

    “174 expensive necklaces and earrings; 78 expensive bracelets; 77 expensive brooches; and 74 expensive pendants.”

    The items were seized from Diezani’s residence, at No. 10 Fredrick Chiluba Close, Asokoro, Abuja.

    Before the forfeiture, EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo told the court that the assets were acquired with the proceeds of unlawful activities.

    A detective with the commission, Rufai Zaki, in an affidavit, maintained that the jewellery were beyond Diezani’s “known and provable lawful income.”

    But the defence led by Prof Awa Kalu protested that the EFCC violated her “fundamental right to own property and to appropriate them at her discretion,”.

    In an affidavit, Kalu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), buttressed his argument with sections 43 and 44 of the constitution.

  • We Have Recovered $153m, 80 Properties From Diezani – EFCC Boss

    We Have Recovered $153m, 80 Properties From Diezani – EFCC Boss

    Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, says the anti-graft agency has recovered $153 million from Diezani Alison-Madueke, ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources.

    Bawa also said the EFCC recovered the final forfeiture of over 80 properties in Nigeria valued at about $80 million from Alison-Madueke, who has been living in the United Kingdom, UK, since leaving office some years ago.

    He explained that the EFCC is looking forward to having the former Minister in the country, to face trial, given that she was out of Nigeria’s jurisdiction.

    This was contained in the April edition of the commission magazine, EFCC Alert.

    “There are several issues surrounding Diezani’s case. I was part of that investigation, and we have done quite a lot. In one of the cases, we recovered $153 million; we have secured the final forfeiture of over 80 properties in Nigeria valued at about $80 million. We have done quite a bit on that.

    “The other cases as it relates to the $115 million INEC bribery is also ongoing across the federation. We are looking forward to the time we will, maybe, have her in the country and, of course, review things and see what will happen going forward. The case has certainly not been abandoned,’’ Bawa said.

    Recall that the Federal High Court in Abuja had fixed May 17 for the EFCC to report on how it complied with the court order in the trial of Alison-Madueke.

    The EFCC had accused Alison-Madueke of fleeing the country to the UK, to escape justice, among others.