A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to vacate an order granted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for final forfeiture of her seized assets.
Alison-Madueke, in an originating motion obtained by journalists on Monday, sought an order extending the time within which to seek leave to apply to the court for an order to set aside the public notice issued by the EFCC to conduct a public sale on her property.
The EFCC had planned to conduct a public sale of all assets seized from Alison-Madueke beginning January 9, as contained in its public notice, following various court judgments/orders issued in favour of the commission as final forfeiture orders against the property and personal effects of the former minister.
The ex-minister, in the motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/21/2023, dated and filed on January 6, by her lawyer, Dr Mike Ozekhome (SAN), before Justice Inyang Ekwo, sought five orders from the court.
The former minister, who argued that the various orders were made without jurisdiction, said these “ought to be set aside ex debito justitiae.”
She said she was not given a fair hearing in all the proceedings leading to the orders.
According to her lawyer, Alison-Madueke was not served with the charge sheet and proof of evidence in any of the charges, or with any other summons about the criminal charges pending against her in court.
He also argued that the courts were misled into making several of the final forfeiture orders against her assets through the suppression or non-disclosure of material facts.
But the EFCC, in a counter-affidavit deposed to by Rufai Zaki, asked the court to dismiss Alison-Madueke’s application.
Zaki, who was a member of the team that investigated a case of criminal conspiracy, official corruption, and money laundering against the ex-minister and some other persons involved in the case, said the investigation had clearly shown that she was involved in some acts of criminality.
