A federal court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of N23.4 billion, N9.08 billion, and $5 million (about N34 billion in total) linked to Nigeria's former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Premium Times reports.
Justice Muslim Hassan, on Thursday, February 16, gave a “final forfeiture order” on the funds.
The judge said he was satisfied with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) argument that the monies were proceeds of illegal activity.
It would be recalled that Justice Hassan had on January 6, issued an interim order of forfeiture of the sum of $153.3 million to the federal government, following an exparte application by EFCC seeking similar relief.
EFCC had initiated the exparte application seeking an interim order, for the temporary forfeiture to the FG, of the sum, which it claims is linked to Diezani.
The seized money, according to the EFCC was stolen from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and stashed in three banks in Nigeria, in US dollars and Naira.
Meanwhile, EFCC has announced the discovery of a property in Lagos worth a whopping $37.5million totalling N11.75bn which allegedly belongs to the former oil minister.
The EFCC said Diezani reportedly bought the building in Lagos’ top class location Banana Island between 2011 and 2012 at a total cost of $37.5m from the YF Construction Development and Real Estate.
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