Diezani, 4 Others’ Trial On Hold As UK Crime Agency Gets Seizure Order On Cash Found With Suspects

 

Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke and four other accomplices arrested across London by operatives of the International Corruption Unit of the United Kingdom, UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) last Friday over alleged charges of bribery and money laundering will have their day in court before the end of this week.

A source in NCA told our correspondent in London today that “it’s most likely the suspects will be formally charged before the end of this week.” This is even as it equally emerged today that the NCA has gotten the approval of a London magistrate court to confiscate an undisclosed amount of cash seized from Deziani and her accomplices last Friday. Another source however told our correspondent that the suspects may not be in court till April next year, 2016 to allow for a thorough overseas investigation of the money laundering network. It was however difficult to confirm this claim as at the time of filing this report.

The NCA reportedly filed the application and got the approval for the cash seizure at the Westminster Magistrates Court under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The former Minister and four others are still enjoying the bail granted them last Friday after their arrest and interrogation even though she is expected to report daily at the Charing Cross Police Station pending when she will face court trial.

The Nigerian presidency also today confirmed the arrest in London of its former oil minister. “Nigeria is aware of the arrest of the former petroleum minister in London on money laundering charges,” presidential spokesman Garba Shehu stated. “The government has been informed and the DSS (Department of State Services) is collaborating with the relevant security agencies in the UK to handle the matter,” he said.

Britain’s National Crime Agency said on its website on Friday it had detained five people on suspicion of bribery and money laundering but did not disclose the identities of the suspects. “All five people arrested were released on conditional bail later that evening, pending further investigation both in the UK and overseas,” a statement said.

“The investigation commenced in 2013 under the Proceeds of Corruption act, and transferred to the NCA earlier this year.” Alison-Madueke, 59, was oil minister under former president Goodluck Jonathan from 2010 until earlier this year when he was defeated in elections by Muhammadu Buhari. She was the first woman oil minister in Nigeria, Africa’s largest producer and the first female president of the global oil cartel OPEC.

Alison-Madueke has previously been accused of large-scale fraud in the management of the country’s multi-billion-dollar oil wealth but denied any wrong-doing. In February 2014, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, claimed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had failed to remit $20 billion in revenue.

Sanusi was later removed from his post by Jonathan, who disputed the figures involved, in a move many saw as politically motivated. Buhari, who last week announced he would take personal charge of the oil ministry, has begun a purge of the NNPC, ordering a review of its finances and sacking the entire board.