Dieziani moves against order of forfeiture of $40m jewellery, iPhone to FG

Ebun Francis|

A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Monday, asked the court to order the return of her 2,149 pieces of jewellery and a customised gold iPhone, valued at $40m, which were seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on the order of a court.

The self-exiled for minister of petroleum is accusing the EFCC of entering her apartment illegally and taking the items without any court order in violation of her fundamental “right to own property and appropriate same at her discretion,” under sections 43 and 44 of the Constitution.

In an application filed on her behalf by Awa Kalu (SAN), Dieziani urged the court to reject the prayer by the EFCC to permanently forfeit the jewellery and the gold iPhone to the Federal Government.

She further contended that the court lacked jurisdiction to have granted the interim forfeiture order in the first place, as she had not been charged with any crime or served with any summons by the EFCC.

She stressed that the entry into her apartment by EFCC operatives was illegal as it was without a court order and that the temporary forfeiture order was prejudicial to her because she was denied fair hearing.

The application, which was scheduled to be argued on Monday, failed to commence because Kalu, Dieziani’s lawyer was noy in court.

The trial judge, justice Nichola Oweibo adjourned the case till August 29.

It will be recalled that the EFCC had, on July 5, 2019, secured an order of the court temporarily forfeiting the jewellery and the gold iPhone to the Federal Government.

The anti-graft agency told the court that it found and recovered the jewellery and the customised gold iPhone “on the premises of the respondent;” adding that it reasonably suspected that the former minister acquired them with “proceeds of unlawful activities.”

After granting the interim forfeiture order on July 5, the court adjourned till August 19 for Diezani or anyone interested in the jewellery and gold iPhone to appear before it to give reasons why the items should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.