A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed October 23, 2023, to hear a suit filed by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
In the suit, Alison-Madueke is challenging the order obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the final forfeiture of her seized assets.
The date was fixed by Justice Inyang Ekwo after Alison-Madueke‘s counsel Benson Igbanoi, and EFCC’s counsel, regularised their processes in the suit.
EFCC had planned to conduct a public sale of all the assets seized for being proceeds of crime as ordered by courts to be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The auctioning exercise, conducted on the seized assets believed to include Alison-Madueke’s property, started on January 9.
It was alleged that she ran to the United Kingdom and stayed there after her exit from public office as the petroleum minister.
She was petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
In her suit, she sought an order extending the time within which to seek leave to apply to the court for an order to set aside the EFCC’s public notice issued to conduct the public sale on her property.
She argued that the various orders were made without jurisdiction, and said these “ought to be set aside”.
She said she was not given a fair hearing in all the proceedings leading to the orders.
Also, She posited that she was neither served with the charge sheet and proof of evidence in any of the charges nor any other summons howsoever and whatsoever in respect of the criminal charges pending against her before the court.
However, in a counter affidavit deposed to by Rufai Zaki, a detective with the commission with EFCC, urged the court to dismiss her application.
Zaki said contrary to her deposition in the affidavit in support, most of the cases which led to the final forfeiture of the contested property “were action in rem, same was heard at various times and determined by this honourable court.”
He said the courts differently ordered the commission to do a newspaper publication inviting parties to show cause why the said property should not be forfeited to the Federal Government before final orders were made.
The Guardian
