Ben Ezechime, Enugu
A Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, has shifted the suit filed by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, challenging the orders obtained by the EFCC for final forfeiture of her seized assets.
The matter, scheduled on number 15 on the cause list, could not proceed on Monday due to the absence of the presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo.
The court, however, fixed December 7 for hearing of the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/21/23.
It would be recalled that, Justice Ekwo had, on June 21, fixed October 23, for hearing of the case after Alison-Madueke’s Lawyer, Mr Benson Igbanoi, and EFCC’s counsel, M.D. Baraya, regularised their processes in the suit.
The EFCC had planned to conduct public sale of all the assets seized for being proceeds of crime as ordered by courts to be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The auctioning exercise, conducted on the seized assets is believed to include Diezani’s properties.
The immediate-past chairman of EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, had revealed that $153 million and over 80 properties have been recovered from Alison-Madueke.
She was alleged to have escaped to the United Kingdom (UK) and remained there after her exit from public office as the petroleum minister, an office she held between 2010 and 2015 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
