FG rejects Diezani’s plea to return to Nigeria for prosecution

The Nigerian government on Wednesday said it would not allow the embattled former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to return to Nigeria to face criminal charges against her in order not to jeopardize on-going investigations by authorities in the United Kingdom.

 

This was in response to the request by Allison-Madueke, that she be invited to join in a charge before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, involving Dele Belgore, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

 

Embattled former petroleum resources minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, said on Tuesday that she was ready to stand in court and defend a criminal charge linked to her relating to an alleged laundering of N450 million and had pleaded with a Federal High Court sitting Lagos to order Abubakar Malami, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to ensure her return to Nigeria.

 

But the Attorney General of Federation and Minister of Justice, said Allison-Madueke should rather face the charges of money laundry and acquisition of properties against her in the United Kingdom.

 

“The truth of the matter is that steps have been taken by the United Kingdom authorities on issues bothering on corrupt practices involving Nigerians. If Nigeria feels strongly that there is need to bring  Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke here to face charges of corruption, government will not hesitate to do that. As things are now, there is no need for that since the U.K. Government is already investigating her on money laundry and acquisition of properties. Government will not take any decision that will jeopardize what the U.K. Government is doing, Malami who spoke in Hausa to some Hausa Service State House Correspondents said when asked why government had remained silence on the matter.

 

Belgore is standing trial before Justice Mohammed Aikawa alongside a former Minister of National Planning, Abubakar Suleiman, over allegations of receiving N450 million from Diezani, who was named in the charge but is described as “being at large.”

 

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which is prosecuting them, had also accused them of handling the said sum in cash without going through any financial institution, an offence which contravened the provisions of sections 1(a), 15(2)(d) and18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.

 

Suleiman said it was not in Alison-Madueke’s place to dictate to the federal government who to invite to answer to corruption charges.

 

“The truth of the matter is that the government is doing something especially on issues of corruption and litigation in Nigeria and outside the country. Considering the fact that there is an existing understanding between Nigeria and other countries especially United Kingdom on the recovery of stolen funds, so you cannot say government is not doing anything,” Malami also noted.

 

Asked if the former petroleum minister was going to get fair hearing in her absence, he said, “Well, the issue is not about fair hearing now, we are talking about investigation first and is not within Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke power to ask the federal government to bring her to testify in any case in Nigeria.

 

“Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke is facing charges of money laundering and acquisition of properties in United Kingdom so it is important to face the charges there than for her to come as a mere witness in a case in Nigeria.”

 

Alison-Madueke, has been in the UK since 2015 when Goodluck Jonathan lost the presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari.

 

At the resumed hearing in the case, on Tuesday, an Abuja lawyer, Obinna Onya, appeared before Justice Aikawa with an application seeking to join Alison-Madueke as one of the accused in the charge.

 

The application, brought pursuant to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, sought an amendment to the charges against Belgore and Suleiman, inorder to join Diezani.

 

Onya argued that contrary to the declaration by the EFCC that Diezani was at large, she was in the United Kingdom and was willing to return to Nigeria to defend the charges.

 

The lawyer further argued that since Diezani’s name had been mentioned in the charge, it would be against her right to fair hearing for the case to proceed without affording her the opportunity of defending herself.

 

He prayed for an order mandating the Attorney-General of the Federation to facilitate the prompt appearance of the applicant in court on the next adjourned date, to take her plea and to defend the allegations made against her.