Diezani Allison Madueke
The EFCC has left the local borders to investigate the alleged loot of the embattled former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have
visited two mansions in Dubai allegedly belonging to a former Minister
of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
The properties, located at E146 Emirates Hill and J5 Emirates Hill, are said to be worth 74,000,000 dirham (N7.1bn).
Emirates Hill, which has been described as the Beverly Hills of the
United Arab Emirates, is home to some of the richest men in the world
including billionaire Chairman of the Stallion Group, Sunil Vaswani.
Others, who are Diezani’s neighbours, include the immediate past
Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif; a former President of
Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari; and Robert Mugabe junior, the son of the
President of Zimbabwe and one of Africa’s longest serving leaders,
President, Robert Mugabe.
A source within the EFCC told a Punch correspondent that the
anti-graft agency was already applying for the forfeiture of the
properties through the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
If the commission is able to clear all legal hurdles and ensure the
final forfeiture of the property, it would bring the total amount of
cash and assets finally recovered from Diezani to $200m (N70bn).
A detective, who did not want his name in print, said the
anti-graft agency would exploit the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty the
Federal Government had recently signed with the government of the UAE.
The agreements, signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, are Agreement
on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, Agreement on Mutual
Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters, Agreement on the
Transfer of Sentenced Persons and an Extradition Treaty.
The source stated, “We have informed the UAE authorities that
from our investigation, we believe Diezani bought the properties with
the proceeds of crime. The whole process is still ongoing but with the
MLAT, signed by President Buhari, it has made work a lot easier for us.”
The detective explained that before the Federal Government signed
the treaty, the UAE law prevented foreign officials from having access
to properties in the country without the express permission of its
owner.
He added that with the new treaty, the UAE authorities were more
cooperative and would readily give information of properties from their
Land Registry System.
Meanwhile, the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against
Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), who hailed Buhari for signing the
treaty, told The PUNCH that some corrupt senators, who also owned
properties in Dubai, would be made to forfeit them.
Sagay also disagreed with some legal experts who said the Dubai
treaty would need to be ratified by the National Assembly before it
could be activated.
He said, “The UAE MLAT is not a treaty as such but an agreement; so, it will be operated without their (senators) approval.
“So, let that start worrying them (senators). He (President)
will implement it directly. So, those of them that have acquired
properties in Dubai and other Middle-East countries should kiss their
properties good bye.”
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