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ALLEGED MONEY LAUNDERING: Court gives EFCC 91 days for reports on Diezani
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday gave the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) 91 days to provide reports on its compliance with court’s orders on former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
The judge fixed March 3, 2021, for the presentation of the reports while ruling on the EFCC’s request for more time to produce the defendant in court.
The application was filed on behalf of the commission by its counsel, Farouk Abdullah.
Diezani, who fled the country after the 2015 election, was declared wanted by the EFCC for alleged money laundering.
The commission alleged that the ex-minister left the country after she got wind of the Federal Government’s plan to charge her for alleged financial malfeasance.
EFCC accused Diezani of unlawfully taking into her possession, the sum of $39.7million and N3.32billion suspected to be proceeds of fraud.
READ ALSO: Court adjourns trial of ex-minister, others over alleged N450m from Diezani
Justice Ojukwu had on July 24 issued criminal summons against Diezani to appear in court for trial.
She, however, refused to honour the summons.
The development forced the EFCC to approach the court for a warrant of arrest against the flamboyant ex-minister.
But the judge declined the request, citing the commission’s failure to enforce the criminal summons she had earlier issued against Diezani.
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