Home Blog FG replies Diezani: Face your charges in UK

FG replies Diezani: Face your charges in UK

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Federal Government has responded to the request by former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, that she be invited to joined in a charge before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, involving Mr. Dele Belgore, SAN.

The Attorney General of Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said Allison-Madueke should rather face the charges of money laundering and acquisition of properties against her in the United Kingdom.

He argued that it was not in the place of the former minister to dicate to the Federal Government who to invite to answer to corruption charges.

The former petroleum minister who has been in the UK since she left office in 2015,  is believed to have been barred from leaving the UK where she is also being investigated for money laundering.

On Tuesday, her lawyer said that she would like to appear in court in Nigeria to defend the multiple allegations of crime bordering on money laundering of over N450 million, wherein her name was mentioned.

But Malami who spoke in Hausa to some Hausa Service State House Correspondents, said she will not be brought back to Nigeria for trial as demanded. He said since she is already facing charges in the United Kingdom, “it is important to face the charges there than for her to come as a mere witness in a case in Nigeria.”

According to Malami: “The truth of the matter is that steps have been taken by the United Kingdom authorities on issues bordering on corrupt practices involving Nigerians. If Nigeria feels strongly that there is need to bring Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke here to face charges of corruption, government will not hesitate to do that. As things are now, there is no need for that since the UK government is already investigating her on money laundry and acquisition of properties. Government will not take any decision that will jeopardize what the U.K. Government is doing.”

On whether the former petroleum minister was going to get fair hearing in her absence, he answered: “Well, the issue is not about fair hearing now, we are talking about investigation first and is not within Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke’s power to ask the Federal Government to bring her to testify in any case in Nigeria. Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke is facing charges of money laundering and acquisition of properties in the United Kingdom, so it is important to face the charges there than for her to come as a mere witness in a case in Nigeria.”

At the resumed hearing in the case, on Tuesday, Mr. Obinna Onya, a lawyer from Abuja, appeared before Justice Mohammed Aikawa with an application seeking to join Diezani as one of the accused in the charge.

The application, brought pursuant to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, sought an amendment to the charges against Belgore and Suleiman, so as to join Diezani.

Belgore is standing trial alongside a former minister of national planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, over allegations of receiving N450 million from Diezani, who was named in the charge but is described as “being at large.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is prosecuting them, had also accused them of handling the said sum in cash without going through any financial institution, an offence which contravened the provisions of sections 1(a), 15(2)(d) and18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012.

The lawyer contended that contrary to the declaration by the EFCC that Diezani was at large, the former minister was in the UK and was willing to return to Nigeria to defend the charges.

The lawyer argued that since Diezani’s name had been mentioned in the charge, it would be against her right to fair hearing for the case to proceed without affording her the opportunity of defending herself.

He prayed for an order mandating the Attorney General of the Federation to facilitate the prompt appearance of the applicant in court on the next adjourned date, to take her plea and to defend the allegations made against her. The allegations are contained in counts 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the charge, numbered FHC/L/35c/2017.

Onya urged Justice Aikawa to hear and determine the application before proceeding with the case.

Ibrahim Magu, the acting EFCC boss, in September also said there were moves to bring back the former minister to the country.

“I want you to know that nobody will go unpunished. We are even seeking to extradite Diezani, but investigations are still ongoing,” he stated.

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