BEVERLY HILLS, February 27, (THEWILL) – Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and four others, will in June, be tried in London for alleged corrupt practices.
According to The Nation, the trial was fixed as more evidence were hauled to the United Kingdom at the weekend.
Quoting a source in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), part of the evidence are the proceedings of a Federal High Court which ordered the final forfeiture of $153million allegedly traced to the ex-minister.
The source also debunked reports that the EFCC was negotiating with Alison-Madueke insisting that the anti-graft agency t was not engaged in any secret negotiation with her.
It was also learnt that one of the suspects had been found at a hideout in London and placed under surveillance.
“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,” the source said.
“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.
“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.
“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?”
THEWILL recalls that the National Crime Agency (NCA), UK, on October 2, 2015 arrested Alison-Madueke and four others for alleged bribery and corruption and money laundering.
The former minister, whose movement has been restricted to the UK, has insisted that she remains innocent revealing that she is battling with cancer.
“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,” she said at some point.
“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.”
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