Alison Seeks Restraining Order against National Assembly Probe of N10bn

Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke on Friday commenced fresh legal action against the National Assembly, urging a Federal High Court, Abuja to restrain it from continuing with probe of the N10 billion she allegedly spent to charter private jets over a period of time.

The minister, through her lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome is praying the Federal High Court to determine whether by virtue of the provisions of Sections 88, 89 and 214 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the legislature or any of its committees are legally and constitutionally empowered and/or competent to personally/physically probe or conduct investigation into allegations of fraud or other criminal activities said to have occurred in agencies under the supervision or control of the Ministry of Petroleum, when agencies exist that are legally and constitutionally empowered to carry out or conduct such investigations into alleged fraud or other criminal acts and prosecute offenders on conclusion of their investigations.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/346/2014, Alison insisted that the National Assembly lacked the constitutional powers to summon or investigate allegations of fraud against the Minister of Petroleum and is therefore urging the court to issue an order restraining the Assembly, whether by themselves, servants, staff, committees, privies, proxies or any other persons howsoever called, from summoning the applicants or any agencies under the applicants’ supervision or control, to appear before them for the purpose of giving evidence and/or producing any papers, books, records or other documents, which relate to the unpublished official records of the applicants, without the consent of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Advertisement

She is also urging the court to grant a perpetual injunction restraining the legislative House, whether by themselves, servants, staff, committees, privies, proxies or any other persons howsoever called, from further conducting direct personal or physical probe, inquiry and/or investigation into any alleged fraud, corruption or other criminal activities in the agencies under the first applicant’s supervision or control.