Diezani's suit seeking to reclaim forfeited assets stalled

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A suit filed by the former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, seeking to reclaim all her forfeited assets to the Federal Government on Wednesday suffered a setback at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The suit, which was fixed for mention before Justice Inyang Ekwo, could not go on shortly after the case was called.

Diezani’s lawyer, Eko-Ejembi Eko, SAN, after announcing his appearance, prayed the court for an adjournment, saying he was just coming into the matter for the first time and needed more time to study the file.

The EFCC’s counsel, Paul Mgbeoma, did not oppose the application and, with the parties' agreement, Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter until Jan. 26 for further mention.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ex-minister, in the suit, is praying the court to order the EFCC to retrieve her seized assets or property from persons, either natural or corporate, to whom it sold them.

Diezani, in an amended suit, sought an order setting aside the commission’s public notice issued and upon which it conducted the public sale by auction.

In the public notice, the anti-graft agency announced the sale of the former minister’s assets from Jan. 9, 2023 to Jan. 13, 2023.

Against the announcement, the ex-minister had, in the originating motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/21/2023, sued the EFCC as sole respondent.

In the suit dated and filed on Jan. 6, 2023, she sought an order extending time to seek leave to apply to the court to set aside the EFCC’s public notice to conduct a public sale of her property, among others.

NAN reports that on July 1, Justice Ekwo granted the ex-minister's application to present evidence of the London court that acquitted her.

But the EFCC opposed the application filed by Diezani to present the evidence of her acquittal by the Southwark Crown Court, London in UK.

In a further counter-affidavit to Diezani’s request, the EFCC prayed Justice Ekwo to dismiss the application.
The commission argued that Diezani's purported acquittal by a foreign criminal court on charges preferred against her was not material or relevant to the specific issues for determination before the instant court.