The Federal high court in Abuja has granted an application by a former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to amend her suit challenging the order obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for final forfeiture of her seized assets
Justice Inyang Ekwo granted the request following a motion moved by Diezani’s lawyer, Godwin Inyinbor, who wasn’t opposed by the EFCC’s counsel, Divine Oguru.
When proceedings commenced on Monday Inyinbor informed the court that they had already filed a motion for amendment of their originating process and the defendant had been duly served.
The trial judge however gave Diezani five days to file and serve the amended processes and informed EFCC that they had 14 days to respond, from the date of service, before adjourning to March 17, 2025 for further mention.
The former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Deizani Alison- Madueke, had initiated a process at the Federal High Court, to vacate the forfeiture orders of the Federal Government on Properties Allegedly linked to her.
The action came months after the Federal Government secured orders for final forfeiture of properties in Nigeria and abroad allegedly linked to the former Minister.
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 properties.
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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 assets 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 to fair hearing.
She further argued that the courts were misled into making several final forfeiture orders against her assets through suppression or non-disclosure of material facts.
The EFCC on their own part said most of the depositions in Alison-Madueke’s suit were untrue.
They said contrary to her deposition in the affidavit filed in support of the suit, most of the cases which led to the final forfeiture of the contested property were heard at various times and determined by the trial court.
Their lawyer noted that the courts ordered the commission to do a newspaper publication inviting parties to show cause why the said property should not be forfeited to the federal government before final orders were made.
The officer said contrary to her, the final forfeiture of the assets, which were subject to the present application, was ordered by the court in 2017 and that this was not set aside or upturned on appeal.
According to him, the properties have been disposed off through due process of law.
The anti-corruption agency had planned to conduct a public sale of all the assets seized for being proceeds of crime as ordered by courts to be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The auctioning exercise, conducted on the seized assets believed to include Alison-Madueke’s property, started on Jan. 9, 2023.
A former chairman of EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, had revealed that $153 million and over 80 properties had been recovered from the ex-minister.
Deizani was alleged to have escaped to the United Kingdom and remained there after her exit from public office as the petroleum minister, an office she held between 2010 and 2015 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
