Charly Boy, Others Storm EFCC Office, Demand Repatriation Of Diezani

Nigerian entertainer, Charles ‘Charlyboy’ Oputa, on Monday led a group of protesters to the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in Abuja, demanding for the repatriation of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke.

Diezani, who served as petroleum minister under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan is currently being investigated for alleged fraud and money laundering offences committed during her time in office.

Her associates Kola Aluko and Jide Omokore, have also been linked to corrupt practices worth billions of dollars.

Meanwhile the Federal High Court on Monday ordered the final forfeiture of N7.6 billion said to have been illegally kept in Sterling bank by the minister.

On August 9, 2017, Justice Chuka Obiozor granted an order temporarily forfeiting the money to the Federal Government.

Justice Obiozor’s order followed an ex parte application argued before him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He adjourned till today for the bank and any other interested party to appear before him to show cause why the funds should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The EFCC told the judge that the N7.6 billion was part of a sum of $153,310,000, which Mrs. Alison-Madueke allegedly siphoned from the coffers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) sometime in 2014.

The anti-graft agency said she stashed the money in three banks, adding that the Federal Government had since February last year, through an order by Justice Muslim Hassan of the Federal High Court, Lagos recovered part of the money from the other banks.

Recently, a Lagos Federal High Court ordered the forfeiture of some property linked to Diezani because they were believed to have been acquired using proceeds of stolen wealth.