Diezani forfeits N7.6 billion to FG

court that investigation proved that the monies, which were kept in different accounts in some banks, were actually proceeds of crime.

The agency said the monies were held and laundered through Gbenga Olu Komolafe, former Group Managing Director, Crude Oil Marketing Division of NNPC; Prince Haruna Momoh, former Group Managing Director, Petroleum Products Management Company (PPMC) and Umar Farouk Ahmed , Group Managing Director of Nigerian Products Marketing Company (NPMC) on behalf of Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke.

On August 7, Justice Chuka Obiozor of another Federal High Court, Lagos ordered the temporary forfeiture of the monies said to belong to the former Minister of Petroleum Resources.

The order granted earlier by Justice Obiozor, followed an exparte application argued before him by the EFCC.

The EFCC alleged Mrs AlisonMadueke stashed the money in some banks.

The anti graft agency said it recovered part of the huge money stashed in banks across the country by the former minister since February last year, through an order granted by Justice Muslim Hassan also of the Federal High Court,.

On August 16, last year, Justice Anka ordered the temporary forfeiture of 56 properties allegedly bought by the former Minister between 2011 and 2013 for the sum of N3.3 billion or $21,982,224 million.

The judge ordered the EFCC to publish the order in any national newspaper, and adjourned till September 8, 2017.

Similarly, the same Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had ordered the permanent forfeiture to the government, the sum of $3.7million mansion in Banana Island, Lagos similarly linked to the former Minister of Petroleum.

In a ruling delivered by Justice Chuka Obiozor, the sums of $2,740,197.96 and N84, 537,840.70 said to have been realised as rents on the property were also ordered to be forfeited to the government.

The EFCC had earlier brought before the court, a motion on notice asking for the permanent forfeiture of the Building 3, Block B, Bella Vista Plot 1, Zone N, Federal Government Layout, Banana Island Foreshore Estate.

The permanent order sought by the anti-graft agency was sequel to the temporary seizure earlier secured.

Few days before the Banana Island mansion was permanently forfeited, prosecutors had asked a United States based court to confiscate a 200-foot yacht and a condominium from Central Park in Manhattan, which were allegedly a part of a bribery scheme linked to the AlisonMadueke.

According to Financial Times, the assets are worth $144m (about N50 billion) and were acquired by two Nigerian oil men, Kolawole Aluko and Olajide Omokore who had allegedly conspired with the former petroleum minister during her tenure.

Both Aluko and Omokore were accused of creating two shell companies in the British Virgin Islands — Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria and Atlantic Energy Brass Development — to handle their oil contracts, companies which were said to be unqualified.

The civil forfeiture complaint noted that the duo had lobbied Alison-Madueke to win oil production contracts worth $1.5bn.

In acknowledgement of the minister’s gestures, the businessmen were said to have gone on to acquire multimillion dollar properties in London for her, while acquiring for themselves, the ‘world’s reputed largest fast displacement yacht, a $82m vessel Galactica Star and the $87m condominium units in Manhattan.

Recently, staff of the EFCC said in an article that N47.2billion and $487.5million in cash and properties have so far been traced to the former minister following painstaking investigations.