If this turns out to be totally true, then I think her children will be
disappointed in her. 'Mom we can't own the whole country, it's not just
possible'.
So the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it has traced at
least N47.2Billion and $487.5Million in cash and properties to former
Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
“This followed painstaking investigations by operatives of the EFCC,”
two staff of the anti-graft agency wrote in an article sent to Premium
Times. The former Minister is also being investigated for corruption and
money laundering in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The article, written by Tony Orilade and Aisha Gambari of the EFCC Media department reads:
By Tony Orilade & Aisha Gambari
From time immemorial, precious metals – gold, silver and sparkling
stones such as diamonds have delighted women. Relationships have been
built and destroyed, wars fought for and reconciliations cemented with
gold and precious stones. Not too far back in history, Liberia was the
theatre of war over Blood Diamonds.
Unlike Liberia however, the Nigerian nation is not at war. But, it seems
Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, until recently, Minister of Petroleum
Resources, going by the sheer amount of her acquisition of gold and
diamonds, may have been fighting a spirited war against millions of
compatriots who are heavily and unevenly yoked by crass poverty. To
boot, the former minister is accused of having stolen – in broad
daylight – the money that funded her acquisitive binge.
A search of one of Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s palatial residences in Abuja,
by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) turned up boxes
of gold, silver and diamond jewellery, worth several million pounds
sterling.
Apart from the jewellery, the EFCC, Nigeria’s foremost anticorruption
agency, has traced N47.2 Billion and $487.5 Million in cash and
properties to the former Minister of Petroleum Resources in Ex-President
Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
The former minister who has been in London since the birth of President
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, has however continued to deny any
financial misdeed. She insists she is being severely maligned and
persecuted by the EFCC.
But, on the strength of weighty evidences placed before Nigerian courts,
there are a string of judicial pronouncements ordering the forfeiture
of all allegedly ill-gotten wealth to Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s former
employers, the Federal Government of Nigeria.
One of the constitutional requirements to be appointed to public office
in Nigeria, is the total declaration of all personal assets. It does
seem like that provision was observed more in the breach by Mrs.
Alison-Madueke.
The EFCC, in the course of investigation, traced another property valued
at $37.5m to the former minister in Banana Island, Lagos. She was said
to have purchased the 15-storey building, which comprises 18 flats and
six penthouses, between 2011 and 2012from the developers, YF
Construction and Real Estate.
The property was allegedly acquired in the name of a shell company,
Rusimpex Limited, which is managed by one Afamefuna Nwokedim, Principal
Partner, Stillwaters Law Firm, Lagos.
On August 7, 2017, Justice Chuka Obiozor, a vacation judge sitting at
the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, ordered the final forfeiture of a
$37.5m (N11.75bn) (Eleven Billion, Seven Hundred and Fifty Million
Naira) property on Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos allegedly belonging to
Diezani Alison-Madueke.
The order followed an exparte application filed on July 17, 2017 by the EFCC.
At the last adjourned sitting on July 19, 2017, counsel to the EFCC,
A.B.C. Ozioko, while moving the ex-parte application, had urged the
court to order the forfeiture of the total sum of US$2, 740,197.96 and
N84, 537,840.70 respectively found by the Commission in Rusimpex USD
account No. 1013612486 domiciled in Zenith Bank Plc suspected to be
proceeds of unlawful activities. Ozioko had also urged the court to
order an interim forfeiture of the assets and property. Ruling on the
applications, Justice Obiozor had ordered the respondents- Deziani,
Afamefuna Nwokedi and Rusimpex Limited- to show cause within 14 days why
the properties should not be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The judge had further ordered the publication of the interim order in
any national newspaper for the respondents or anyone who is interested
in the property to appear before the court to show cause within 14 days
why the final order of the property should not be made in favour of the
Federal Government.
At the resumed hearing on August 7, counsel to the EFCC argued that the
failure of the second and third respondent, Nwokedi and Rusimex meant
that “they are not willing to contest the application”.
In his ruling, Justice Obiozor ordered the final forfeiture of the
property to the Federal government, in view of the failure of any
interested parties or persons to contest the interim forfeiture order as
published in a national newspaper by the Commission. The court also
ordered the permanent forfeiture of the sums of US$2, 740,197.96 and
N84, 537,840.70 respectively realized as rent on the property.
But, by far the most numbing, record-shattering acquisitions of
Alison-Madueke, is to be found in the ritzy, nouveaux riches playground
of Banana Island, Lagos. It consists of two apartments at the Bella
Vista Court.
The apartments which are Penthouses, are located on Block C-5, Flat 21,
Plot 1, Zone N. For them, a $350 Million (Three Hundred and Fifty
Million US Dollar) hole was allegedly dug in the Nigerian treasury on
November 22, 2011, by Ms. Alison-Madueke.
Also in Lagos, Ms. Alison-Madueke allegedly bought a block of six units
serviced apartments at Number 135 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, just a few
hundred metres away from the EFCC zonal operations hub. The apartment
has a standby power generating set, sporting facilities, play ground and
a water treatment plant. The property was bought at the rate of N800
Million (Eight Hundred Million Naira) on January 6, 2012.
Other properties in Yaba, Lagos, also discovered by the eagle eyes of
the Commission’s operatives, are located at number 7, Thurnburn Street
and 5, Raymond Street. The Thurnburn Street property consists of 21
mixed housing units of eight 4-bedroom apartments, two penthouse
apartments of 3-bedrooms each and six 3-bedroom (all en-suite) terrace
apartments.
The Raymond Street property is made up of two en-suite 2-bedroom apartments and one 4-bedroom apartment.
The Yaba, Lagos properties, which dug a deep hole of an eye-popping N1
Billion (One Billion Naira), were paid for on May 30, 2012. The same day
Alison-Madueke splashed N900 million for the Port Harcourt estate.
In Lekki Phase one, an upscale neighbourhood of Lagos, operatives found a
twin four-bedroom duplex. The duplex is located on Plot 33, Block 112,
Lekki Peninsula Residential Scheme Phase 1, Lekki, Lagos, with an
estimated value of over N200 Million (Two Hundred Million Naira).
Also in Lagos, a large expanse of land at Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos
has also been traced to the former Petroleum Resources Minister. The
land, which is located in Oniru Chieftaincy Family Private Estate, Lekki
peninsular, Lagos and currently being utilized as a dumping site, was
bought on February 16, 2012, for N135 Million (One Hundred and Thirty-
Five Million Naira).
Plot 8, Gerard Road Ikoyi, Lagos, another property traced to Mrs.
Alison-Madueke, is a penthouse on the 11th Floor in the Block B Wing of
the building. It was bought for N12 Million (Twelve Million Naira) on
December 20, 2011.
On Plot 10, Frederick Chiluba Close, in the serene, upscale Asokoro
district of Abuja, lies a tastefully built and finished duplex. In the
compound, there are also a Guest Chalet, Boy’s Quarters, an elegant
swimming pool, fully equipped sports gym and a host of other amenities.
Investigators have discovered that the property acquired by the
ex-minister in December, 2009, at the cost of N400 Million (Four Hundred
Million Naira) was never declared in any of the asset declaration forms
filed by Mrs. Alison-Madueke.
Also linked to the former Minister in Abuja is a mini estate at Mabushi,
Abuja. The estate located on Plot 1205, Cadastral Zone B06, Mabushi
Gardens Estate, houses 13 three bedroom terrace houses, each with one
bedroom en-suite maid’s quarters. It was purchased on April 2, 2012 at
the princely sum of N650 Million (Six Hundred and Fifty Million Naira).
In Aso Drive, Maitama, Abuja, Mrs. Alison-Madueke reportedly acquired a
6-bedroom en-suite apartment made up of three large living rooms, two
bedroom Guest Chalets, two bedroom Boys Quarters, two lock up garages
and a car park. It was bought on July 20, 2011 for N80 Million (Eighty
Million Naira).
Down South in Nigeria’s oil city of Port Harcourt, the former minister’s
acquisitive appetite took her to Heritage Court Estate, located on Plot
2C, Omerelu Street, Diobu Government Residential Area, Phase 1
Extension, Port Harcourt.
The Estate which is made up of 16 four bedroom terrace duplexes is
equipped with among other facilities, a massive standby power generating
set. Mrs. Alison-Madueke did not blink as she shelled out N900 Million
(Nine Hundred Million Naira) for it on May 30, 2012.
In neighbouring Bayelsa State, an apartment with two blocks of flats,
all en-suite, and with a Maid’s Quarters were also traced to her. The
house located on Goodluck Jonathan Road, Yenagoa, is sitting on a large
expanse of land. Realtors spoken to by EFCC investigators have placed
estimated values running into hundreds of millions of Naira on the
property. The apartments have four living rooms, eight bedrooms and
gold-plated furniture.
Aside from jewelry and property, Mrs. Alison-Madueke, EFCC operatives
charge, has N23,446,300,000 and $5milion (about N1.5billion) in various
Nigerian banks.
Based on evidence presented by the Commission before the court, Justice
Muslim Suleiman Hassan on January 6 2017, ordered the funds’ temporary
forfeiture to the federal government.
The EFCC again, on January 24, 2017, urged the Federal High Court in
Lagos to order the forfeiture of yet another N9 billion allegedly
laundered by some bank officials for Alison-Madueke.
A month later, on February 16, 2017, Justice Hassan ordered the final
forfeiture to the federal government, of N34 Billion naira which has
been traced to the former minister.
Earlier in May 2016, the sum of over $100 Million (One Hundred Million
US dollars) were traced to the accounts of several Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) staffers, who were allegedly bribed by
Alison-Madueke to compromise Nigeria’s 2015 general elections.
Justice Mohammed B. Idris of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi,
Lagos, on April 27, 2017, ordered the final forfeiture of the bribe
money traced to one staff of INEC, Christian Nwosu, who was arraigned on
April 5, 2017.
In the course of the trial, Mr. Nwosu pleaded guilty to receiving the
sum of N30 Million (Thirty Million Naira) from Mrs. Alison-Madueke. Upon
his confession, the court ordered the final forfeiture of his landed
property situated at Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area of
Delta State. Also forfeited by Mr. Nwosu to the federal government was
the cash sum of N5 Million (Five Million Naira).
Going by the continued unearthing of hard-to-ignore evidences of
unexplained acquisitions, coupled with Justice Chuka Obiozor’s rulling
on the final forfeiture of a $37.5m (N11.75bn) (Eleven Billion, Seven
Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) to the federal government, ex-minister
Alison-Madueke’s evidence-free counter-charge, that she is a victim of
EFCC persecution, may be ringing hollower and hollower.
Orilade and Gambari are officers of the Public Affairs Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
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