Diezani’s suit ​‌‍‍‍‍⁠⁠‍‍​⁠⁠‌‌​‍‌​seeking to reclaim forfeited assets stalled

A suit filed by the former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, seeking to reclaim all her forfeited assets to the Federal Government on Wednesday suffered a setback at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The suit, which was fixed for mention before Justice Inyang Ekwo, could not go on shortly after the case was called. Diezani’s lawyer, Eko-Ejembi Eko, SAN, after he announced his appearance, prayed the court for an adjournment on the ground that he was just coming into the matter for the first time and that he would need more time to study the file.

The EFCC’s counsel, Paul Mgbeoma, did not oppose the application, and with the agreement of the parties, Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter until Jan. 26, for further mention. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ex-minister, in the suit, is praying the court to order the EFCC to retrieve from persons, either natural or corporate, to whom it had sold off her seized assets or property.

Diezani, in an amended suit, sought an order setting aside the commission’s public notice issued, upon which it conducted the public sale by auction. The anti-graft agency had, in the public notice, announced the sale of the former minister’s assets beginning from Jan. 9, 2023, to Jan. 13, 2023. Against the announcement, the ex-minister had, in the originating motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/21/2023, sued the EFCC as the sole respondent.

In the suit dated and filed on Jan. 6, 2023, she sought an order extending the time to seek leave to apply to the court for an order to set aside the EFCC’s public notice issued to conduct a public sale on her property, among others. NAN reports that on July 1, Justice Ekwo granted the application filed by the ex-minister to present evidence of the London court that acquitted her.

But the EFCC opposed the application filed by Diezani to present the evidence of her acquittal by the Southwark Crown Court, London, in the UK. The EFCC, in a further counter-affidavit to Diezani’s request, prayed Justice Ekwo to dismiss the application. The commission argued that the purported acquittal of Diezani by a foreign criminal court in charges preferred against her was not material or relevant to the specific issues for determination before the instant court. (NAN)