• Court orders permanent forfeiture of N7.6bn to FG

• UK agency freezes property worth £10m

• As Charly Boy leads protest to press for ex-minister’s repatriation

By James Ojo, Abuja and Lukman Olabiyi

THERE is no letup for the embattled former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Dieziani Alison Madueke as a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, ordered a permanent forfeiture of N7, 646,700 billion linked to her to the Federal Government.

Justice Abdulaziz Anka made the order following an application filed and argued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seeking permanent forfeiture of the said sum said to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

The anti-graft agency in its supporting affidavit, averred that based on the investigation carried out on the intelligence reports received by the commission, it discovered that money kept in the accounts of some banks were proceeds of crimes held and laundered through Gbenga Olu Komolafe, former Group Managing Director, Crude Oil Marketing Division of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Prince Haruna Momoh, former Group Managing Director, Petroleum Products Management Company (PPMC) and Umar Farouk Ahmed, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian Products Marketing Company (NPMC) on her behalf.

The EFCC had in the application alleged that Alison-Madueke stashed the money in some banks.

It further alleged that the Federal Government had since February last year, through an order granted by another judge, Justice Muslim Hassan also of the Federal High Court, recovered part of the huge money stashed in banks across the country by the former minister.

The former minister is being investigated for multi-billions fraud and money laundering offences in Nigeria, United States of America and the United Kingdom, where she fled to after the government she served was defeated in the 2015 general elections.

Some properties estimated at billions of Naira she allegedly acquired through stolen money have been forfeited to the Federal government through court rulings.

On Tuesday, August 22, a Federal High Court in Lagos had ordered the interim forfeiture of assets valued at $16,441,906 linked to her.

On Wednesday, August 9, Justice Chuka Obiozor of a Lagos Federal High Court also ordered the interim forfeiture of the sum of N7, 646,700,000 linked to the former minister after the EFCC filed an ex parte application.

This ruling came few days after a Federal High Court, also in Lagos, ordered the permanent forfeiture of a $37.5 million mansion in the highbrow Banana Island owned by the former minister on Monday, August 7.

She has been linked to a slew of corruption cases, with courts seizing assets and funds that have been suspected to be proceeds of her loot.

On Tuesday, August 8, the EFCC revealed that its operatives discovered boxes of gold, silver and diamond jeweler from the Abuja residences of the former minister.

In a related development, the United Kingdom authorities also ordered the seizure of £10 million worth of properties following a request made by Federal Government.

The properties, two in Regents Park and one in Buckinghamshire, were frozen under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The order to freeze the assets was handed down by a London court in September 2016 following a request made by Federal Government, which is also investigating the former minister.

Between 2011 and 2015, two of her associates, Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko allegedly paid bribes to her in exchange for billion dollar contracts, to lift oil, getting awarded to shell companies owned by both of them.

Through shell companies, both men laundered billions of dollars accruing from Nigeria’s crude into the US and Europe, using the proceeds to purchase properties worth millions of dollars for Alison-Madueke.

Using a series of shell companies and layered financial transactions to conceal the nature, location, source, and/or ownership of the proceeds of their illicit transactions, they purchased properties for Alison-Madueke in London and the United States.

The seized property in Buckinghamshire was bought by Omokore’s Seychellois company Miranda Investments for £3, 250,000 in January 2011, while the other two in Harley House and Park View were bought for £2,800,000 and £3,750,000 respectively in March 2011.

Aiteo’s Chief Executive Officer, Benedict Peters, a jeweler named Christopher Aire, and a lawyer named Donald Amamgbo, are also listed as defendants by the United States Department of Justice.

Alison-Madueke was arrested in 2015 by the NCA and will stand trial with the other four defendants for alleged bribery, corruption and money laundering.

She has been linked to a slew of corruption cases, with courts seizing assets and funds that have been suspected to be proceeds of her loot.

Meanwhile, musician turned activist, Charles Oputa fondly called Charly Boy and his group of “Concerned Nigerians” yesterday stormed the headquarters of the anti-graft agency in Abuja with a demand for the repatriation of the former minister from Britain to face charges of corruption.

Charly Boy group became popular when it staged a sit-out protest against the long medical vacation of President Muhammadu Buhari in London, asking the president to either return home or resign from office.

The group, however, called off the protest after a brush with Buhari’s supporters at the Wuse market in Abuja, while the president later returned to the country a day after similar protest was staged at the Abuja House in London.

But, yesterday the protest was almost aborted by a detachment of policemen stationed at the entrance of the street leading to the headquarters of the commission, until a clearance was obtained to allow the protesters access to the office.

Charly Boy with Deji Adeyanju and few others were later allowed into the EFCC office where they were received by the secretary of the Commission, Emmanuel Aremo and other top functionaries.

Spokesman of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement after the meeting, Aremo who stood in for the acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, stressed that the anti-graft agency remained committed to the rule of law, as this was paramount in the fight against corruption.

“Let us be patient and let us follow due process, we on our part will ensure that no stone is left unturned as we intensify the war against corruption,” he said.

Aremo, further urged the group not to relent in their support for the EFCC, as the anti-graft agency needed the partnership of every Nigerian in the fight against corruption.

“I urge Nigerians to be patient, because extradition requires a painstaking process that must be followed,” he said.

While commending the EFCC for intensifying the fight against corruption, Charly Boy expressed concerns that “it is not enough for Diezani’s assets to be forfeited, there should be conviction.”

Adeyanju, urged the EFCC not to be deterred in prosecuting the fight against corruption, noting that after the two-day sit-out, which began yesterday at the EFCC headquarters, the group will take its protest calling for Diezani’s repatriation home to the United Kingdom like it did with the president during his health vacation.