EFCC begins extradition move against Diezani Alison- Madueke as UK Court restricts her movement.
Diezani Alison-Madueke, the former Petroleum Minister on Monday, appeared before the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in the United Kingdom over an £100,000 alleged bribe.
Michael Snow the district judge, granted Alison-Madueke a £70,000 bail.
Other terms were also imposed on Alison-Madueke including a restriction of 11 pm to 6 am curfew, and also an electronic tag to be regularly worn by her at all times and a £70,000 surety to be paid before she could leave the court building.
Her court appearance is adjourned to be on October 30 at Southwark Crown Court, as her lawyer has said that she will plead no guilty charge.
She was suspected to accepted bribes to award a multi million oli and gas contracts by the UK’s National Crime Agency.
Her charges also included financial rewards, furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from high-end designer shops such as Cartier jewellery and Louis Vuitton goods.”
An assets totalling $53.1m linked to Diezan’s alleged corruption has been recovered by the NCA .
NCA’s head of international corruption unit, Andy Kelly, assured that the “charges are a development due to the extensive international investigation. He maintained that Bribery is a serious form of corruption, Which is crippling some developing countries. He promised to continue to work with local and foreign partners to tackle it’s spread ,” Kelly added.
Diezani was the minister of petroleum resources from 2010 to 2015 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
She however left the country to the UK before Jonathan handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
She was alleged to have Stolen $2.5bn from the Nigerian government while she was a minister as reported by the Economic and financial Crimes Commission.
As she has not been arraign by the EFCC due to her inability return back to Nigeria since 2015, but the anti-graft agency said that it had commenced an extradition process to bring Diezani back to Nigeria to face trial.
The EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said, “The EFCC welcomes, with keen interest, the arraignment of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, at the Westminister’s Court in London, United Kingdom, following alleged bribery allegations.
“Although the charges preferred against her at the London court, are diametrically different from the 13 counts, bordering on money laundering that the EFCC has raised against her, it is instructive to note that criminality is criminality, irrespective of jurisdictional differences. 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. The commission is on course on her trial. She will soon have her day in our courts.” EFCC maintained.
