Court reschedules hearing for Diezani Alison-Madueke’s asset forfeiture suit to December 7

The Federal High Court in Abuja has deferred the hearing of a lawsuit filed by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, contesting the orders secured by the EFCC for the final forfeiture of her seized assets.

Originally scheduled as number 15 on the cause list, the case could not proceed due to the absence of Justice Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge. The court has now set December 7 as the new date for the hearing of the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/21/23.

Earlier on June 21, Justice Ekwo had fixed Monday for the case hearing after legal representatives for Ms. Alison-Madueke and the EFCC regularized their processes in the suit.

The EFCC had previously planned to conduct a public sale of assets seized for being proceeds of crime, which had been ordered by the courts to be permanently forfeited to the federal government. The seized assets were believed to include properties associated with Ms. Alison-Madueke.

Abdulrasheed Bawa, the former chairman of the EFCC, revealed that more than $153 million and over 80 properties had been recovered from Ms. Alison-Madueke.

She was alleged to have fled to the United Kingdom (UK) and remained there after her departure from public office as the petroleum minister, a role she held between 2010 and 2015 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

In her motion, the former minister sought to set aside various orders made without jurisdiction, arguing that she was not given a fair hearing in the proceedings that led to the orders. The EFCC countered these claims, urging the court to dismiss her application.

In response to Ms. Alison-Madueke’s allegations, Rufai Zaki, an EFCC detective, maintained that the investigation clearly demonstrated her involvement in criminal activities, leading to her being charged before the court. He emphasized that the courts had ordered the commission to publish notices inviting parties to show cause why the property should not be forfeited to the federal government. The properties had been the subject of final forfeiture orders, and they had been disposed of through the due process of law.

The EFCC also filed a money laundering suit against the ex-minister in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/208/2018, where an arrest warrant was issued on January 24, 2022, due to her alleged refusal to return to Nigeria for trial.

Credit: NAN