Court Orders Immediate Release of UK Properties Belonging to Aiteo Boss, Benedict Peters

The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the immediate release of two properties located in the United Kingdom belonging to businessman and CEO of the Aiteo Group, Benedict Peters.

The properties had been the subject of an interim forfeiture order obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) without notice to Peters.

By this decision, the court has upheld his case that the properties wholly belonged to him and not connected to the former Petroleum Minister, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke.

The court said the properties were unjustifiably included in a list of assets the anti-graft agency tried to seize.

In suit no FHC/ABJ/ CS/228/2016, Benedict Peters and two of his companies, Rosewood Investment Limited and Colinwood Limited, filed applications before Justice Binta Nyako, seeking the discharge of the forfeiture order that she had made in April and June 2016 affecting their properties.

The summary of the case put before the court was that he is the exclusive and beneficial owner of the following properties: Flat 5, Parkview, 83-86 Prince Albert Road, London; Flat 58 Harley House, Marylebone Road, London and 270-17 street, Unit #4204, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, that were wrongly included in a list of 19 properties in the order as allegedly belonging to the former minister.