The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has disclosed that it has started the process of extraditing Dieziani Alison. Madueke, a former Minister of Petroleum.
Recall that the federal government said in February this year that the United Kingdom government rejected its extradition request for the former minister.
Alison Madueke is wanted in Nigeria for an alleged loss of over $2.4bn in Revenue from the Illegal Sale of 48 million Barrels of Crude in 2015 Including Crude Oil Exports from 2014 while she presided over the ministry.
The former minister under the President Gooolduck Jonathan Administration was last week arraigned in a London, United Kingdom court for 100, 000 pounds bribery allegation.
She has been granted a 70, 000 pound bail by the district judge, Michael Snow.
Dele Oyewale, the spokesperson for the EFCC said the commission welcomed the former minister’s arraignment, saying she still has questions to answer in Nigeria over alleged corruption while she served in that administration.
He stated that an arrest warrant had already been issued to that effect, adding that everything would be done to bring the former minister to answer to the law.
According to Oyewale, “The EFCC welcomes, with keen interest, the arraignment of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, at the Westminister’s Court in London, United Kingdom, following alleged bribery allegations.
“Although the charges preferred against her at the London court, are diametrically different from the 13 counts, bordering on money laundering that the EFCC has raised against her, it is instructive to note that criminality is criminality, irrespective of jurisdictional differences. No crime can go unpunished. The money laundering charges for which Madueke is answerable to the EFCC, cover jurisdictions in Dubai, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Nigeria.
“To bring the former Minister to trial in Nigeria, an arrest warrant has been obtained and extradition proceedings have been initiated. The commission is on course on her trial. She will soon have her day in our courts.”
While answering questions in the House of Representatives in February, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police and Head of the National Central Bureau, INTERPOL Nigeria, Garba Umar, on Thursday, said the UK had refused to send the former minister back to the country for prosecution.
Umar said, “The issue of Diezani, a warrant of arrest was issued. I am sorry to say the government of the UK turned down our request. We followed the MLA – you can check, that is Mutual Legal Assistance – to bring her back home. She went to court because, according to them, they have a system where they check our…let me not go there.”
