A federal high court in Lagos has
ordered the forfeiture of jewellery and a customised gold iPhone, belonging to
Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources.
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) had valued the items at $40m.
At the court on Friday, Nicholas
Oweibo, a judge, ordered the temporary seizure of the items following an ex
parte application moved by Rotimi Oyedepo, lawyer for the EFCC.
He had said the application,
which had Alison-Madueke as the only defendant, was filed in pursuant to
section 17 of the advance fee fraud and other related offences act no. 14,
2006.
According to the schedule
attached to the application, some of the 2150 pieces of jewellery, categorised
into 33 sets, aree “419 bangles; 315 rings; 304 earrings; 267 necklaces; 189
wristwatches; 174 necklaces and earrings; 78 bracelets; 77 brooches; and 74
pendants.”
The anti-graft commission said it
found and recovered the items in the premises of Alison-Madueke, adding that it
suspected that the former minister acquired them with “proceeds of unlawful
activities.”
Oweibo ordered EFCC to publish
the forfeiture order in a national newspaper “for the respondent or anyone who
is interested in the property sought to be forfeited to appear before this
honourable court to show cause within 14 days why a final forfeiture order of
the said properties should not be made in favour of the Federal Government of
Nigeria.”
The judge adjourned the matter
till August 23, 2019.
The ex-minister has been accused
of corruption, an allegation she denied.
In 2017, Ibrahim Magu, acting
chairman of EFCC, said the agency recovered $43 million from her.
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