By Deborah Hassan
365Daily– An appeal filed by ex-Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, challenging the forfeiture of her $40million worth of jewellery to the Federal Government, has been dismissed by a Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos State.
The Court, on Friday, November 26, 2021, dismissed the appeal marked as Appeal No CA/L/1263/19 between DIEZANI ALISON MADUEKE the EFCC), for having “no substance.”
In 2019, Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court authorised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to seize the jewellery.
The items were seized from Diezani’s former residence at No. 10 Fredrick Chiluba Close, Asokoro, Abuja. She is now based in the United Kingdom.
The jewellery in contention were categorised into 33 sets of the following: “419 expensive bangles; 315 expensive rings; 304 expensive earrings; 267 expensive necklaces; 189 expensive wristwatches; 174 expensive necklaces and earrings; 78 expensive bracelets; 77 expensive brooches; and 74 expensive pendants.”
Justice Oweibo on July 19, 2019 granted the EFCC’s motion for forfeiture of the jewellery.
The judge held that the former Minister failed to show cause why the jewellery should not be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Diezani had challenged the seizure of the jewellries from her premises by the EFCC innan affidavit filed on her behalf by her counsel, Prof Awa Kalu (SAN).
She alleged that the EFCC violated her fundamental “right to own property and to appropriate them at her discretion,” under Sections 43 and 44 of the Constitution.
She also accused the anti-graft agency of entering her apartment illegally and taking the items without any court order.
But in his application for the final forfeiture order, EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the judge that the items were reasonably suspected to have been acquired with the proceeds of unlawful activities of the former minister.
His assertion was supported by EFCC investigator, Rufai Zaki, who, in an affidavit before the court, stressed that the jewellery were beyond the former minister’s “known and provable lawful income.”
Zaki disclosed that the EFCC found that she started acquiring the jewellery two years after she was appointed Minister.
He stated: “The respondent did not utilise her salary or any part of her legitimate income to acquire the assets sought to be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
He added that the decision to search her Asokoro house flowed from a “damning intelligence report” received by the Commission.