The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, rejected the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s request to issue a warrant of arrest
against a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke,
who is believed to be residing in the United Kingdom.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu rejected the EFCC’s request for an
arrest warrant citing the commission’s failure to enforce the earlier criminal
summons which the court issued on the former minister as far back as July 24,
2020.
The commission had in requesting for the criminal summons in
July claimed that it was required to facilitate the ex-minister’s extradition
to Nigeria.
Faced with the failure of the ex-minister to honour the
summons on Wednesday, the EFCC, through
its lawyer, Mr Farouk Abdullah, urged Justice Ojukwu to issue a warrant of
arrest against her
Ruling on the request by EFCC, Justice Ojukwu rejected it as
she noted that the criminal summons which the court issued on Diezani in the
ruling of July 24, 2019, ought to be sufficient for the commission to process
her extradition to Nigeria to face her trial.
The judge who expressed willingness to give the extradition
bid a chance to survive, however, demanded an affidavit with evidence from the
Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (the office with exclusive
power to facilitate extradition), to prove that there was a need for the arrest
warrant to have Diezani extradited.
She ruled, “It is my view that the summons should have
assisted in the extradition of the defendant by the Office of the AGF.
“Today, the defendant is not in court and no reason was
given.
“I am being informed that the defendant is believed to be in
the United Kingdom.
“The learned counsel also informed the court that the
extradition process has failed as a result of the absence of the warrant of
arrest.
“But if that is the case, learned counsel shall file an
affidavit to that effect supported by evidence from the Office of the Attorney
General of the Federation.
“I hereby give you time to put your house in order.”
The judge adjourned till December 3 for report and possible
arraignment of the defendant.
The EFCC had alleged that Diezani escaped from the country
shortly after her tenure as the Minister of Petroleum Resources end and got
wind of the plan to charge her with various offences.
The commission on November 11, 2018, filed the 13 counts of
money laundering to justify the bid to have her extradited to Nigeria.
Diezani was accused of among others in the charges that she
unlawfully took into her possession, the sums of $39.7m and N3.32bn when she
reasonably ought to have known that the money formed part of the proceeds of
unlawful activities.
She was said to have purchased choice landed assets with the
money using different fronts as the owners.d Street, Yaba, Lagos, with N937m.
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