A Federal High Court in Abuja has postponed a suit filed by former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, challenging the final forfeiture of her assets by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The case, presided over by Justice Inyang Ekwo, was listed for further mention but could not proceed because the court did not sit, as the judge was attending a seminar at the National Judicial Institute (NJI). The case has now been rescheduled for November 21.
Diezani, through her lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), filed a suit against the EFCC seeking to overturn a public notice issued to auction her properties, which had been seized by the commission.
She argued that the court orders enabling the sale were issued without proper jurisdiction and violated her right to a fair hearing as outlined in Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution. Diezani also claimed she was not served with the necessary legal documents during the proceedings that led to the forfeiture.
The EFCC, in its defense, countered these claims through a sworn affidavit by Rufai Zaki, a member of the commission’s investigative team.
Zaki asserted that the investigation revealed Diezani’s involvement in criminal conspiracy, corruption, and money laundering, and stated that her claims of not being given a fair hearing were untrue.
He highlighted that a public notice had been issued, inviting any interested parties to contest the forfeiture of the assets, but Diezani’s representative had responded to one such application.
The EFCC’s counsel maintained that the properties had already been lawfully forfeited and sold following due process.
This comes after a court ruling in 2017 ordering the final forfeiture of the assets, which was neither overturned on appeal nor challenged effectively.
The commission had previously revealed that $153 million and over 80 properties were recovered from Diezani, who has remained in the UK since leaving her position as Minister of Petroleum under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
In addition to the asset forfeiture case, Diezani is also seeking N100 billion in damages from the EFCC for alleged defamatory publications against her.