Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke
who is currently in the United Kingdom has asked a Federal High court
to compel the AGF to bring her back to answer on corruption charges.
The former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke
on Tuesday pleaded with the Federal High Court in Lagos to compel the
Attorney General of the Federation to bring her back to Nigeria from the
United Kingdom, where she travelled to shortly after leaving office in
2015.
According to a report by Punch,
Diezani made the plea through an application filed on Tuesday, by one
Obinna Onya, a lawyer from Abuja, who appeared before Justice Aikawa
with an application seeking the joining of Diezani as one of the
defendants in the charge.
Diezani said she would like to appear in court in Nigeria to defend
a criminal charge bordering on alleged laundering of N450m, where her
name was mentioned.
The main defendants in the charge are a Senior Advocate of Nigeria,
Mr. Dele Belgore; and a former Minister of National Planning, Prof.
Abubakar Suleiman.
Belgore and Suleiman were charged before Justice Rilwan Aikawa for
allegedly collecting N450m from Diezani and laundering same in the
build-up to the 2015 general elections.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which filed the
charges, claimed that the N450m was part of a sum of $115m which Diezani
allegedly doled out to compromise the 2015 general elections.
The SAN and the professor were arraigned on five counts, wherein
Diezani’s name was mentioned, but she was declared as being “at large.”
Diezani's application seeking to be joined in the suit was filed
pursuant to Section 36(1),(5),(6 (a)-(e) of the Constitution and
sections 216 (1) (2) (3) (4); and 217 of the Administration of Criminal
Justice Act, 2015, sought an amendment to the charges against Belgore
and Suleiman, so as to join Diezani as one of the defendants.
The lawyer contended that contrary to the declaration by the EFCC
that Diezani was at large, the former minister was in the UK and was
willing to return to Nigeria so that she could appear in court to take
her plea and defend the charges..
The lawyer argued that since Diezani’s name had been mentioned in
the charge, it would be against her right to fair hearing for the case
to proceed without affording her the opportunity to defend herself.
“The statement made by the prosecution means that the applicant
(Diezani) is going to be convicted without being given the opportunity
to defend herself,” Onya told Justice Aikawa.
The application prayed for an order “mandating the Attorney General
of the Federation, being the agent of the complainant, to facilitate
the prompt appearance of the applicant in court on the next adjourned
date, to take her plea and to defend the allegations made against her in
counts 1, 2,3 and 4 of the charge, numbered FHC/L/35c/2017.”
Onya urged Justice Aikawa to hear and determine the application before proceeding with the case on Tuesday.
But the prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, opposed
him, saying the application was not ripe for hearing, as he had yet to
be served.
However, Onya told the court that he had attempted to serve Oyedepo
on Tuesday morning on the court premises but that the prosecutor
declined, adding that his effort to serve the application at the EFCC
office on Friday was also frustrated.
But Oyedepo advised him to go and serve the application at the
registry of the EFCC, assuring him that the application would be
accepted.
Responding, Justice Aikawa said the court could not entertain the application until all the parties had been properly served.
Meanwhile, the trial proceeded with the second witness for the EFCC, Usman Zakari, continuing his testimony.
Through the witness, Oyedepo tendered two letters written to the
EFCC in relation to the case Standard Charted Bank Nigeria Limited and
Guaranty Trust Bank.
The court admitted the two letters as exhibits in evidence against the defendants.
However, Oyedepo’s attempt to tender a trail of electronic mail
communication between Diezani and the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank
was resisted by the defence counsel, Mr. Ebun Shofunde (SAN) and
Olatunji Ayanlaja (SAN).
They contended that the document was not admissible as, according to them, it did not meet the requirement of the Evidence Act.
Oyedepo sought an adjournment to counter the objection by the defence.
Justice Aikawa adjourned till Wednesday, October 4 for continuation of trial.
In the charges, Sulaiman, a professor of Political Science and
International Relations at the University of Abuja; and Belgore, a
former governorship aspirant in Kwara State, were accused of conspiring
between themselves to commit the offence on March 27, 2015.
The duo were accused of making a cash transaction of N450m on March 27, 2015, without going through any financial institution.
But they pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
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