EFCC on Wednesday successfully
blocked an attempt by embattled former Petroleum Minister, Diezani
Alison-Madueke, to return to Nigeria from London to face trial.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke had fled to London shortly after she left office in May
2015, and has stayed away from the country since then.
She later became an object of interest to the UK National Crime Agency which has since then being investigating her for corruption and money laundering.
But it now appears the former minister is tired of staying in the UK, and now wants to return to Nigeria, where she is also being investigated for massive corruption.
As part of the plot, she recently filed an application before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking to be joined as defendant in the trial of businessman Jide Omokore who is facing a 9-count charge for an alleged $1.6 billion fraud.
But counsel for Mrs. Alison-Madueke, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), suddenly, on September 18, filed an application for his client to be joined as defendant, based on the fact that her name was mentioned in count eight of the charge.
He sought an amendment of the charge to include her as the seventh defendant, “in order to give her the opportunity to defend herself”.
In the said application, the former minister also requested the court to direct the Attorney General of the Federation to facilitate her appearance in court in Nigeria on the next adjourned date in October 2017.
That would have meant Nigeria requesting Britain to allow her travel out of the UK to attend the court hearing. The EFCC however interpreted her action as a ploy to escape prosecution in the UK and frustrate the ongoing trial in Nigeria.
After hearing arguments by both parties, Justice Dimgba declined to grant the application, and instead, struck out the eighth count in which the former minister’s name appeared.
She later became an object of interest to the UK National Crime Agency which has since then being investigating her for corruption and money laundering.
But it now appears the former minister is tired of staying in the UK, and now wants to return to Nigeria, where she is also being investigated for massive corruption.
As part of the plot, she recently filed an application before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking to be joined as defendant in the trial of businessman Jide Omokore who is facing a 9-count charge for an alleged $1.6 billion fraud.
But counsel for Mrs. Alison-Madueke, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), suddenly, on September 18, filed an application for his client to be joined as defendant, based on the fact that her name was mentioned in count eight of the charge.
He sought an amendment of the charge to include her as the seventh defendant, “in order to give her the opportunity to defend herself”.
In the said application, the former minister also requested the court to direct the Attorney General of the Federation to facilitate her appearance in court in Nigeria on the next adjourned date in October 2017.
That would have meant Nigeria requesting Britain to allow her travel out of the UK to attend the court hearing. The EFCC however interpreted her action as a ploy to escape prosecution in the UK and frustrate the ongoing trial in Nigeria.
After hearing arguments by both parties, Justice Dimgba declined to grant the application, and instead, struck out the eighth count in which the former minister’s name appeared.
The verdict effectively ended her
dream of returning home after holing up in London for more than two years. It
remains unclear whether she would appeal the ruling.
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hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Naija my country, so that means she was not even part of the charge that she was mentioned in count 8 charge? so I will interpret this as a deliberate act or ploy by EFCC to rope her in on the charge since she is ready to defend herself EFCC is scared aleady.This means EFCC is just charging her unneccessarily ?
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised you can't see through the plot. She wants to escape the ongoing prosecution in UK knowing it's difficult to influence the judgement there, while back in Nigeria, she can still pull some strings or enter into a plea-bargain.
DeleteTake Ibori who was set free in Nigeria's court but fully prosecuted & jailed in UK.
She has a lot to loose if she's found guilty in the UK than in Nigeria.
Please, always try and be logical before jumping to conclusions and condemning the actions of our government who knows & understands situations on ground better than those of us far from the centre of action.
Oga,please interprets well,how can she escape prosecution in d UK?can't she be repatriated back there ni?was ibori not left naija to d UK?now that Efcc has denied it nko?what do u say again sir?
Delete