UPDATE: UK approves Diezani’s trial for ‘money laundering’

EFCC takes more proof to London to nail her
All is set for the trial of a former Minister of
Petroleum Resources Mrs. Diezani Alison-
Madueke, and four others in London for alleged
corrupt practices.
The trial has been fixed and more evidence
were hauled to the United Kingdom by the EFCC.
Part of the evidence are the proceedings of a
Federal High Court in respect of the order of final
forfeiture of $153million allegedly traced to the
ex-minister.
It was also learnt that one of the suspects had
been found at a hideout in London and placed
under surveillance.
There have been reports that the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was
negotiating with Mrs. Alison-Madueke. The EFCC
yesterday said it was not engaged in any secret
negotiation with her.
According to a source in the anti-graft agency,
who spoke in confidence with our correspondent,
the agency is set for the trial.
The source said: “The UK investigators have
gone far on the allegations against Diezani.
From the records made available, the ex-
minister and four others will face trial as from
June.
“We have taken more evidence to the UK,
including all court records relating to the final
forfeiture of $153million. We have a huge pile of
documents.”
Responding to a question, the source added: “In
fact, one of the suspects on the radar of
investigators has been located in London and he
is under surveillance.” He declined to name the
suspect.
On the reported negotiation with the former
minister, the source said: “There is no basis to
negotiate with the ex-Minister in view of the
overwhelming evidence at our disposal. You
should ask yourself what purpose the
negotiation will serve.
“The EFCC is set for the trial of the ex-minister
at home and abroad. It is curious to be talking
of a curious negotiation with someone who has
a prima facie case to answer.
“The ex-minister has forfeited $153m; we have
had far-reaching investigation on her
involvement in the $115m poll bribery scandal;
we have seized some of her choice properties
and she has consistently maintained that she is
ready for trial. So, what is the basis for
negotiation when we have a good case?”
The National Crime Agency (NCA) on October 2,
2015 arrested Mrs. Alison-Madueke and four
others for alleged bribery and corruption and
money laundering.
The former minister, whose movement has been
restricted to the UK, remains under
investigation.
The NCA found some of the ex-minister’s
brothers and other business partners complicit in
the money laundering allegation. She was
arrested with her brothers.
Messrs Abiye Agama and Somye Agama are Mrs
Alison-Madueke siblings who operate some UK-
based businesses hurriedly shut them after the
NCA and the EFCC searchlight became intense.
The two brothers are directors of Hadley
Petroleum Solutions Limited, a company the
authorities believe was used for money
laundering. The other directors are Ugonna
Madueke and Abu Fari.
The company was registered in June 2013 in
Manchester, but was dissolved less than two
years later last February without filing any
account.
Abiye, 33, a point man of the firm, is a computer
engineer and manager. He was a director in 11
other companies. He resigned from seven of
them.
According to EFCC records, some of the assets
linked with Mrs. Alison-Madueke are:
A block of six units service apartments on
Awolowo Road, Ikoyi
Six units terrace flats in Yaba, Lagos
Mainland
Twin four-bedroom duplexes in Lekki
Phase I
Two duplexes on Banana Island
A duplex in Asokoro District, Abuja
A mini-estate in Mabushi, Abuja
A set of 12 terrace duplexes at Omaremi
Street in Port Harcourt
Large expanse of land at Oniru, Victoria
Island in Lagos
A multi-billion Naira estate in Yenagoa
Two apartments in Dubai marked as J5
Emirates Hills (30million Dirham) and
E146 Emirates Hills valued at 44million
Dirham
A hotel in Port Harcourt under
investigation
$37.5m mansion on Banana Island in
Lagos.
But Alison-Madueke had disputed some of the
slush funds and assets attributed to her
including the $153million.
She said: “I have up till now chosen to maintain
my silence and not to respond to inaccurate
press reporting. However, given the level of
deliberate inaccuracies, I am now forced to
respond because it is clear that the EFCC is
taking advantage of my silence to try me by
media and to convict me in the eyes of the
public on false reports.”
“First and foremost, whilst the reasons for my
being out of the country are public knowledge,
the principle of fair hearing demands that I
should have been notified of formal charges if
truly there was a prima facie evidence or
indictment against my person linking me with
the said issue, so as to ensure that I had
adequate legal representation. This was never
done.
“I wish to state that I cannot forfeit what was
never mine. I do not know the basis on which
the EFCC has chosen to say that I am the owner
of these funds as no evidence was provided to
me before the order was obtained and they have
not in fact served me with the order or, any
evidence since they obtained it.
“I do not therefore, understand how the EFCC
can in the same breath say that the monies in
question are mine. If they had evidence that the
monies were mine then they would not /should
not, have used the procedure which applies only
to funds of unknown ownership. If indeed they
used this particular legal procedure because they
did not know who owned the monies, then how
can they now be falsely attributing the
ownership to me.
“Let me re-state categorically as I have always
maintained, for the record, I have not and will
never steal money from or defraud the Federal
Government of Nigeria.
“ I am willing to respond to any charges brought
against me that follow duly laid down
procedures.”