Alleged corruption: Diezani drags FG to court, demands return of seized assets

A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to vacate an order granted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for final forfeiture of her seized assets.

Alison-Madueke, in an originating motion obtained by journalists on Monday, sought an order extending the time within which to seek leave to apply to the court for an order to set aside the public notice issued by the EFCC to conduct a public sale on her property.

The EFCC had planned to conduct a public sale of all assets seized from Alison-Madueke beginning January 9, as contained in its public notice, following various court judgments/orders issued in favour of the commission as final forfeiture orders against the property and personal effects of the former minister.

The ex-minister, in the motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/21/2023, dated and filed on January 6, by her lawyer, Dr Mike Ozekhome (SAN), before Justice Inyang Ekwo, sought five orders from the court.

While Alison-Madueke is the applicant, the EFCC is the sole respondent in the suit.
The former minister, who argued that the various orders were made without jurisdiction, said these “ought to be set aside ex debito justitiae.”

She said she was not given a fair hearing in all the proceedings leading to the orders.

“The various court orders issued in favour of the respondent and upon which the respondent issued the public notice to conduct a public sale of items contained in the public notice most of which court the interest of the applicant were issued in breach of the applicant’s right to fair hearing as guaranteed by Section 36 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, as altered, and other similar constitutional provisions,” Ozekhome said. Punch