Assets forfeiture: Court fixes Oct 23 to hear Diezani’s suit against EFCC

A federal high court in Abuja has fixed October 23 to hear a suit by Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources, challenging the final forfeiture of her seized assets.

In 2022, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the court order for the final forfeiture of two houses belonging to Alison-Madueke, said to be valued at $2,674,418 and N380 million.

The court also ordered the forfeiture of two luxury cars — a black BMW saloon with chassis number B8CV54V66629 and registration number, RBC155 DH, and a black Jaguar saloon car with chassis number SAJAA.20 GRDMv43376, said to be valued at N36 million.

However, on Wednesday,  Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, fixed October 23 to hear Alison-Madueke’s suit challenging the forfeiture.

The judge gave the hearing date after Benson Igbanoi, the former minister’s lawyer and M.D. Baraya, counsel to EFCC, “regularised” their processes in the suit.

The former minister in her suit is asking for an order extending the time within which to set aside the EFCC’s public notice issued to conduct a public sale of her properties.

Abdulrasheed Bawa, the suspended chairman of EFCC, had said $153 million and over 80 properties had been recovered from the former minister.

In 2019, a federal high court ordered the permanent forfeiture of $40 million worth of jewellery seized from Alison-Madueke’s residence.

A federal high court in Abuja had threatened to strike out fraud charges brought against Alison-Madueke over her continued absence.

Alison-Madueke is also being investigated in the UK for alleged financial impropriety.