Justice Abdulazeez Anka of the Federal High Court in Lagos, yesterday, ordered the permanent forfeiture of the sum of N7,646,700 billion linked to former minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to the federal government.
Justice Anka gave the order after hearing an application filed and argued by the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Oyedepo, seeking the final forfeiture of the said sum to the government.
The commission had in an affidavit in support of the application, averred that based on the investigation it carried out on an intelligence reports received by the EFCC, it discovered that the sum of N7,646,700 billion, kept in the accounts of some banks were actually proceeds of unlawful activities.
The anti-graft agency also claimed that the money was laundered through Gbenga Olu Komolafe, former group managing director, Crude Oil Marketing Division of NNPC, Prince Haruna Momoh, former group managing director, Petroleum Products Management Company (PPMC), Umar Farouk Ahmed, group managing director of Nigerian Products Marketing Company (NPMC) allegedly on behalf of Mrs Alison-Madueke.
The EFCC also alleged that Mrs Alison-Madueke stashed the money in three banks, and the federal government had since February last year, through an order granted by another judge, Justice Muslim Hassan also of the Federal High Court, recovered part of the money from the other banks.
The EEFCC further stated that the federal government had recovered N23.4bn, $5m and another N9.08bn out of the $153.3m.
It would be recalled that Justice Chuka Obiozor had on August 7, 2017, ordered the temporary forfeiture of the sum of N7,646,700 billion, allegedly hidden in banks by the former minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to the federal government.
Justice Obiozor had also ordered that any interested parties in the matter should appear before the court on Monday to show cause by the ordered should not be made absolute.
During yesterday’s proceedings, Oyedepo told Justice Anka, who is the current vacation judge, that the Commission had complied with the courts order and no one had come forward to lay claims to the money.
He therefore urged the court to order the final forfeiture of the money.
After listening to the lawyer, Justice AbdulAziz Anka granted the order as prayed, he, however, held that all parties have a right of appeal.
It will be recalled that on August 7, 2017, Justice Obiozor ordered the permanent forfeiture to the Federal Government of a $37.5million Banana Island property allegedly bought in 2013 by Mrs. Alison-Madueke.
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