Ms. Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former Minister of Petroleum under the Goodluck Jonathan administration, has taken a step towards recovering her assets that were seized last year.

Nairametrics gathered that the embattled ex-minister pleaded that a Federal High Court should give an order to vacate the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

According to News Agency Nigeria (NAN), Ms Madueke also sought an order extending the time within which she could apply for permission to apply to the court for an order to set aside the EFCC’s public notice issued to carry out the public sale of his property. , and the case was adjourned until May 8 for hearing.

This comes as the EFCC planned to hold a public sale of all assets seized from Alison-Madueke beginning January 9, as listed in its public notice following court rulings issued in favor of the commission as final forfeiture orders. against the property and personal effects of the ex. Minister.

Madueke’s Plea: They revealed the motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/21/2023 dated and filed on January 6 by his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, before Judge Inyang Ekwo, the former minister requested five court orders, such as EFCC is the sole defendant in the lawsuit.

  • “The former minister, who argued that the different orders were made without jurisdiction, said that these “must be annulled ex debito justitiae. She said she was not given a fair hearing in all the proceedings leading up to the warrants, saying
  • “The various court orders issued in favor of the defendant and pursuant to which the defendant issued the public notice to make a public sale of items contained in the public notice, the majority of which were issued by the court in the interest of the applicant in violation of the applicant’s right to a fair hearing guaranteed by Section 36 (1) of the Constitution of 1999, as amended, and other similar constitutional provisions”.

Diezani added that he was not served with the charge sheet or exhibit of evidence on any of the charges or any other subpoena of any kind regarding the pending criminal charges. against her in court.

  • “The various applications on which the courts have issued the final forfeiture order against the applicant were obtained from gross misstatements, misrepresentations, non-disclosure, concealment and suppression of material facts and this honorable court has the power to vacate the same ex debito justitiae, as a void order is as good as never being done at all.
  • “The orders were issued without recourse to the constitutional right to a fair hearing and the right to property that the constitution grants to the petitioner.
  • “The applicant was never notified of the judicial processes in all the proceedings that led to the final confiscation order,” it said, among other reasons given.

EFCC counters: Meanwhile, the EFCC in a counter-affidavit filed by Rufai Zaki, a detective with the commission, urged the court to dismiss Alison-Madueke’s application, stating that the Minister was therefore indicted before the court in charge not : FHC/ABJ/CR /208/2018.

What you should know: Nairametry latest report October that an Abuja division of the Federal High Court ordered the final confiscation of assets belonging to Ms. Diezani Alison-Maduekethe country’s embattled former minister of oil resources.

Judge Mobolaji Olajuwon ordered the forfeiture of two properties and two luxury cars following an application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Nairametrics also concluded that while the two properties are valued at $2.6 million and N380 million, the luxury cars are valued at N36 million.