Court orders permanent forfeiture of Diezani’s $40m jewellery, customised iPhone
-Former minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has forfeited her $40m jewellery and customised iPhone to the federal government
– Justice Nicholas Oweibo of Federal High Court, Lagos, made the judgement on Tuesday, September 10
– Oweibo said that Diezani failed to convince the court why her jewellery should not be permanently forfeited
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos state on Tuesday, September 10, ordered the permanent forfeiture of the 2,149 pieces of jewellery and a customised gold iPhone, valued at $40m, recovered from the house of the former minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
PM news reports that Justice Nicholas Oweibo in his ruling held that Diezani, through her lawyer, Awa Kalu (SAN), failed to show the cause why the items should not be permanently forfeited to the federal government.
Legit.ng gathered that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had told the judge that the jewellery and iPhone were beyond Diezani’s “known and provable lawful income.”
The anti-graft agency further said that findings showed she started acquiring the jewellery in 2012, two years after she was appointed minister.
EFCC emphasised that it was in possession of the details of the bank account through which Diezani received her salary as a minister and stated that a “damning intelligence report” received by the commission led to the search of the former minister’s house at No.10 Fredrick Chiluba close, Asokoro, Abuja.
The former minister had challenged the seizure of the jewellery from her premises by the anti-graft agency.
In an affidavit filed by her counsel Kalu, Diezani alleged that the agency violated her fundamental right to own property and to appropriate them at her discretion under sections 43 and 44 of the constitution.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the EFCC urged the court to order the permanent forfeiture of the 2,149 pieces of jewellery and customised gold iPhone belonging to Diezani to the federal government.
– Legit.ng
