Ex-Petroleum Minister, Alison-Madueke, Others Forfeit $153 million to FG

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Thursday, February 16th, 2017

By Niyi Adeyi

LAGOS, NIGERIA (AFRICAN EXAMINER) – A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the permanent forfeiture to the Federal Government (FG) of the sum of $153m, illegally diverted from the coffers of the Nigerian National‎ Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

It would be recalled that Justice Muslim Hassan on Friday, January 6, 2017 ordered temporary forfeiture of the sum which was deposited with about six different Banks.

After ordering the temporary forfeiture of the monies to the Federal Government on Friday, Justice Hassan gave Sterling Bank (one of the Banks) and any other interested party 14 days to appear before him to prove the legitimacy of the monies, failure of which the funds would be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The judge made the first and Thursday orders in favour of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which appeared before him, with an ex parte application seeking the forfeiture of the funds.