The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered that a $37.5m mansion on Banana Island, Lagos allegedly bought with stolen public funds by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Justice Chuka Obiozor handed down the order on Monday, following a motion on notice argued before him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
He also ordered that the sums of $2,740,197.96 and N84,537,840.70 which had accrued as rents on the property, be equally be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The EFCC had on July 19, 2017, obtained a court order to temporarily seize the property designated as Building 3, Block B, Bella Vista Plot 1, Zone N, Federal Government Layout, Banana Island Foreshore Estate, which is said thas 24 apartments, 18 flats and six penthouses.
The court had granted the temporary forfeiture order, which it directed to be published in a national newspaper and adjourned till Monday (today) for anyone interested in the property and funds to appear to convince the court and show cause why they should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
At the Monday’s proceedings, no one showed up to claim the property.
EFCC lawyer, Mr. Anselem Ozioko told Justice Obiozor that the publication order was complied with.
The judge therefore held, “In the face of the publication, which I find in Exhibit B of the affidavit of compliance before me, and there being no responses from any interested party, I have no other option but to grant the orders as prayed.”
The EFCC had earlier told the court that the Banana Island mansion was reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities by Diezani.
The anti-graft agency said its investigations revealed that Diezani purchased the property sometime in 2013 at the price of $37.5m, which she paid in cash.
According to the EFCC, the $37.5m was moved straight from Diezani’s house in Abuja and paid into the selller’s First Bank account in Abuja.
“Nothing could be more suspicious than someone keeping such huge amounts in her apartment. Why was she doing that? To avoid attention.
“We are convinced beyond reasonable doubt because as of the time this happened, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke was still in public service as the Minister of Petroleum Resources,” the EFCC lawyer, Ozioko, had told Justice Obiozor.
Listed as respondents in the forfeiture application were Diezani, a legal practitioner, Afamefuna Nwokedi, and a company, Rusimpex Limited.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke, who has always denied any wrong doing while she served as petroluem minister, is currently in the UK where she is under investigation for alleged money laundering.
The former minister has also been named in corruption charges against two of her associates, Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko, in the United States.
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