The federal high court Lagos on Tuesday ordered the temporary forfeiture of three landed properties said to be owned by Kola Aluko, a purported ally of Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources.
Justice Mohammed Liman gave the order following an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, alleging that funds used to acquire the properties were suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
The judge further directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper to enable any interested person to show cause why the properties should not be forfeited permanently to the government of Nigeria.
The properties are a $55 million mansion at Plot 1391 Tiamiyu Savage street, Victoria Island, Lagos; Plot 3389 and Plot 3390, house 2, Margaret Thatcher close, Asokoro Cadastral Zone, Abuja.
EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo,had told the judge that section 17 of the advance fee fraud and other fraud-related offences act no. 14 2016 gave the court the competence to make such a forfeiture order.
In the attached affidavit, Sambo Mayana, an operative of EFCC, said the anti-graft agency investigated Aluko after receiving “a damning intelligence report and a petition alleging fraud, lack of transparency and unethical conduct in the transfer of production rights in the oil mining leases against the respondent and his cronies” from Debo Adeniran, executive chairman of the coalition against corrupt leaders
“That there are suspicious financial transactions involving the 1st respondent, KAA and Atlantic Energy Holding Limited based in the British Virgin Island,” Mayana said.
“That the company, in the course of three years, received large suspicious transfers from two sister companies, namely: Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited and Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited, based in Nigeria.”
The case was adjourned till November 12 for further proceedings.
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