Follow Us on Google
From Fred Itua, Abuja
The United Kingdom government has charged Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke to court over an alleged £100,000 bribe.
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said the 63-year old former minister of petroleum resources, who played a key role in the administration of former president, Goodluck Jonathan, between 2010 to 2015, had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.
In a statement published on its website, yesterday, NCA said she would appear at Westminster magistrates court on October 2, for the case.
“She is alleged to have benefitted from at least £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties. Her charges also detail financial rewards including furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from high-end designer shops such as Cartier jewellery and Louis Vuitton goods.”
In March, the NCA also provided evidence to the US department of justice that enabled them to recover assets totalling $53.1 million linked to her alleged corruption.
Andy Kelly, head of the NCA’s international corruption unit (ICU), said the “charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation”.
“Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries. We will continue to work with partners here and overseas to tackle the threat,” Kelly said.
Meanwhile, new facts have emerged on how the two former helmsmen of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), fueled her travails in the UK.
Ibrahim Magu, former acting chairman of EFCC, commenced the investigation of Alison-Madueke and also pushed for her extradition to Nigeria to face multi-billion naira fraud allegations.
The legal battle lasted for over five years. Though Magu failed in securing her extradition to Nigeria, he succeeded in confiscating her assets in Nigeria.
Upon Magu’s removal, Abdulrasheed Bawa took over as substantive chairman of the EFCC and also pushed for her extradition and prosecution.
Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court, Abuja in October 2022, ordered the final forfeiture of two Abuja properties and two luxury cars belonging to her to the Federal Government.
The two properties are located at Plot 1854 Mohammed Mahashir Street and No. 6, Aso Drive in Abuja’s highbrow Asokoro and Maitama Districts, respectively, and were valued at $2,674,418 and N380 million.
According to the judgment, the luxury cars were a black BMW saloon with chassis number B8CV54V66629 and registration number RBC155 DH and a black Jaguar saloon with chassis number SAJAA.20 GRDMv43376, valued at N36 million
Barely few days to the expiration of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, Alison-Madueke filed a suit against the EFCC and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation. In the suit, she claimed that the EFCC and the Federal Government maligned her and referred to her as a criminal.
The case was filed in the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, with Suit No. CV/6273/2023, was signed by her legal representation, led by Mr. Mike Ozekhome.
It had the EFCC and the AGF as first and second defendants respectively.
Alison-Madueke had requested the sum of N100 million to be paid as damages for the “false accusations and publications” written against her by the EFCC.
The embattled former minister added that the EFCC must apologise in at least three national dailies for the injurious damage to her reputation.
In the meantime, sources in the EFCC told Daily Sun yesterday that the anti-graft agency played a key role in the current travails of Alison-Madueke.
One of the sources also revealed the role played by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in providing the needed support to the British intelligence community in securing Alison-Madueke’s would-be trial.
He said the leading anti-graft agencies provided the needed documents, detailing how Alison-Madueke siphoned billions of naira and failed to face the law.
EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, when contacted, declined comments.
