EFCC applauds Diezani Allison-Madueke’s arraignment in London Court
By Jennifer S. Kuwanta
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) applauded the arraignment of Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, at the Westminister’s Court in London, United Kingdom.
The former minister is on trial over alleged bribery charges.
The EFCC is attempting to extradite Allison-Madueke from the United Kingdom to Nigeria to face the anti-graft agency’s 13-count charge of money laundering.
This was revealed in a statement issued by the EFCC’s newly hired spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, on Monday, October 2.
Oyewale stated that, while the charges preferred against Diezani in London differed from the EFCC’s 13-count indictments centered on money laundering, ‘criminality is criminality’ regardless of jurisdictional distinctions.
“No crime can go unpunished. The money laundering charges for which Madueke is answerable to the EFCC cover jurisdictions in Dubai, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Nigeria.
“To bring the former Minister to trial in Nigeria, an arrest warrant has been obtained, and extradition proceedings have been initiated,” Oyewale stated.
The Commission said efforts to bring her back to Nigeria for her trial were on course.
Reports say the former minister appeared before the Westminster Magistrates Court in London over an alleged £100,000 bribe.
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Alison-Madueke was given a £70,000 bond by district judge Michael Snow, along with other conditions like an 11-night to 6 a.m. curfew, an electronic tag that she had to wear constantly, and a £70,000 surety that had to be paid before she could leave the courthouse.
In August, the UK’s National Crime Agency stated that it believed Alison-Madueke had taken bribes in exchange for awarding multi-million dollar oil and gas contracts.
The former minister is accused of acquiring a minimum of £100,000 in cash, chauffeured cars, private jet flights, opulent family vacations, and utilizing numerous London properties.
The charges against her also outline financial benefits such as furniture, property renovations, staffing, covering private school fees, and receiving gifts from upscale designer stores like Cartier Jewellery and Louis Vuitton items.
In the statement, the head of the NCA’s International Corruption Unit (ICU), Andy Kelly, said, “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.
“These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.
“Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries. We will continue to work with partners here and overseas to tackle the threat.”
The NCA also revealed that assets associated with the crime worth millions of pounds have already been frozen as part of the inquiry.
