Diezani seeks Court Order to halt EFCC from selling seized properties

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from selling off properties seized from her.

In a suit filed through her legal team, led by Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Alison-Madueke also urged the court to compel the anti-graft agency to recover any assets already sold to individuals or companies.

She argued that the EFCC violated her fundamental right to fair hearing by proceeding with the sale based on forfeiture orders obtained without her involvement.

The former minister contended that she was never served with any charges or court summons, stating that the orders were secured through misrepresentation and suppression of facts.

She further alleged that the properties were forfeited without a conviction, despite EFCC’s allegations of illicit enrichment.

In response, the EFCC defended its actions, stating that the assets were sold following final forfeiture rulings by Justices C.A. Obiozor and I.N. Oweibo in 2019.

The commission also maintained that Diezani had been properly served through newspaper publications and had pending criminal cases in Nigerian courts.

At the hearing on Monday, Diezani’s lawyer, Godwin Iyibor, requested time to respond to EFCC’s counter-affidavit.

Counsel to EFCC, Divine Okoro, explained that delays had affected their filing process.

Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the case to March 27 for a definite hearing, warning that no further delays would be tolerated.

It is worth noting that Diezani previously filed a ₦100 billion defamation lawsuit against the EFCC, accusing the commission of tarnishing her reputation through media publications portraying her as a corrupt official.