A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the temporary forfeiture of a prime building acquired for $37.5m by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.
The documents presented to the courts be the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) showed that the property has 24 apartments, 18 flats and six pent-houses, is located in Banana Island, Lagos.
The property, designated as Building 3, Block B, Bella Vista Plot 1, Zone N, Federal Government Layout, Banana Island Foreshore Estate, was bought by Diezani for $37.5million in 2013.
Apart from the property, the court also ordered the temporary forfeiture of the sums of $2.740million and N84.537million said to be part of the rent collected on the property.
The funds, the EFCC said were found in a Zenith Bank account numbered 1013612486.
Justice Chuka Obiozor gave the forfeiture orders following an ex-parte application to that effect filed by a counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Anselem Ozioko.
Ozioko told the judge that the EFCC reasonably suspected that the property was ac-quired with proceeds of alleged unlawful activities of Diezani.
He said that investigation by the EFCC revealed that Diezani made the $37.5million payment for the property in cash, adding that the money was moved straight from her house in Abuja and paid into the seller’s First Bank account in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He said: “Nothing could be more suspicious than someone keeping such huge amounts in her apartment. Why was she doing that? To avoid attention?
“We are convinced beyond reasonable doubt because as of the time this happened, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke was still in public service as the Minister of Petroleum Resources,” Ozioko said.
The ex-parte application taken before the judge was filed pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, No. 14, 2006 and Section 44(2)(k) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Listed as respondents in the application, were Diezani, a lawyer, Afamefuna Nwokedi, and a company, Rusimpex Limited.
In a 41-paragraph affidavit attached to the application, an investigative officer with the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, said that Nwokedi, in connivance with Diezani, purposely incorporated the company, Rusimpex Limited, on September 11, 2013 to facilitate the alleged fraud.
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