A Federal High Court in Lagos on
Friday, issued an interim order of forfeiture to the Federal Government
of 153.3 million dollars belonging to a former Minister of Petroleum
Resources, Allison-Madueke.
The monies were said to be domiciled with three Nigerian banks.
Justice Muslim Hassan gave the order following exparte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The commission averred that out of the
total sum, about N23 billion was domiciled with Sterling Bank Plc, N9
billion with First Bank Plc and about 5 million dollars with Access Bank
Plc.
After issuing the interim orders, the
court also issued 14 days to Sterling Bank and any other interested
party to appear and prove the legitimacy of the monies, failing which
the funds would be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
In an affidavit filed in support of
the application, an EFCC investigator, Moses Awolusi, claimed that the
anti-graft agency discovered through its investigations, communication
between Diezani and a former Fidelity bank Managing Director, Nnamdi
Okonkwo.
He said that sometime in December
2014, Diezani invited Okonkwo to her office where they hatched the plan
of how the cash would be moved from NNPC to Okonkwo for safe-keeping.
According to him, Diezani instructed
Okonkwo to ensure that the money was “neither credited into any known
account nor captured in any transaction platforms” of Fidelity Bank.
Awolusi said that Okonkwo accepted and implemented the deal leading to the movement of the sums from NNPC to Fidelity Bank.
He said that two former Group
Executive Directors of Finance and Account of NNPC helped Diezani to
move the cash from NNPC Abuja to the headquarters of Fidelity Bank in
Lagos.
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| Diezani |
Counsel EFCC, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo,
moving the exparte application on Friday, urged the court to order an
interim order of forfeiture.
He also urged the court to order
Sterling Bank and others who were joined as defendants to appear in
court and show why the funds should not be permanently forfeited.
Oyedepo brought his application
pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related
Offences Act No. 14, 2006 and Section 44(2) of the 1999 Constitution,
and argued that granting the application was in the interest of justice.
Justice Hassan, after listening to submissions, granted the orders.
He
adjourned to the case to January 24 for the respondents to appear in
court to show why the funds should not be permanently forfeited.
Read More at: New Telegraph
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