Admin l Friday, January 06, 2017
LAGOS, Nigeria – A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos today issued an interim order directing a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke to forfeit $153.3 million loot domiciled in three Nigerian banks.
Justice Muslim Hassan gave the order following an exparte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo had in an affidavit averred that about N23 billion was domiciled with Sterling Bank Plc, N9 billion with First Bank Plc and about 5 million dollars with Access Bank Plc.
All interested parties have been given 14 days to appear and prove the legitimacy of the monies, failing which the funds would be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The EFCC investigator, Moses Awolusi had claimed that the anti-graft agency discovered through its investigations, communication between Diezani and a former Fidelity bank Managing Director, Nnamdi Okonkwo and that in December 2014, Diezani invited Okonkwo to her office where they hatched the plan of how the cash would be moved from NNPC to Okonkwo for safe-keeping.
According to him, Diezani instructed Okonkwo to ensure that the money was “neither credited into any known account nor captured in any transaction platforms” of Fidelity Bank. He told the court that two former Group Executive Directors of Finance and Account of NNPC helped Diezani to move the cash from NNPC Abuja to the headquarters of Fidelity Bank in Lagos.
After listening to parties, Justice Hassan adjourned the case to Jan. 24 for the respondents to appear in court to show why the funds should not be permanently forfeited.
