Tuesday, August 8, 2017

USA Africa Dialogue Series - STAR INFO: Court Orders Permanent Forfeiture Of Diezani’s $37.5m Mansion To FG



My People:

It appears that there are not only Ghost Workers in Nigeria, but Ghost Owners of huge properties.  Ask them to step forward - and no one does!

Well, this 1-2-Gbam "Temporary-Permanent Forfeiture" feature seems to be working well.   If Diezani did not step forward, does it not mean that she did not own it?  Are there other strange properties like these, owned by other persons?

Inquiring minds want to know.

And there you have it.



Bolaji Aluko



THE WILL 




Court Orders Permanent Forfeiture Of Diezani's $37.5m Mansion To FG

 

SAN FRANCISCO, August 07, (THEWILL) – Justice Chuka Obiozor-led Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered that a $37.5m mansion on Banana Island, Lagos linked to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The anti-graft agency said
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had stated the Banana Island manson was reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities by Diezani. It added that its investigations revealed that Diezani purchased the property sometime in 2013 at the price of $37.5m, which she paid in cash.

Following a motion on notice argued before him by the EFCC, the judge had directed that the temporary forfeiture order be published in a newspaper and then adjourned till today for anyone interested in the property and funds to appear to convince the court why they should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

The court also ordered that the sums of sums of $2,740,197.96 and N84,537,840.70 realised as rents on the property should equally be forfeited to the Federal Government.

EFCC, had on July 19, 2017, obtained a court order to temporarily seize the property designated as Building 3, Block B, Bella Vista Plot 1, Zone N, Federal Government Layout, Banana Island Foreshore Estate, which is said to have 24 apartments, 18 flats and six penthouses. Listed as respondents in the forfeiture application were Diezani, and the second and third respondent being a legal practitioner, Afamefuna Nwokedi, a company, Rusimpex Limited respectively.

During Monday's proceedings, the EFCC lawyer, Mr. Anselem Ozioko, told the court that the publication order had been complied with, adding that despite going the extra length to personally serve the second and third respondents, they did not show up in court to contest the forfeiture order.

"In summary, it appears as if they are not willing to contest this application," Ozioko said, urging the judge to go ahead and order the permanent forfeiture of the property and the funds.

In a terse ruling on the application, Justice Obiozor said, "In the face of the publication, which I find in Exhibit B of the affidavit of compliance before me, and there being no responses from any interested party, I have no other option but to grant the orders as prayed."

________________________________

THE NATION

Diezani 'paid $37.5m cash for Banana Island property'

On:  
20   image_print

Ex-minister loses house, $2.7m, N84.5m to govt

Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the interim forfeiture of a property on Banana Island, Lagos bought for $37.5m in 2013 by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

Justice Chuka Obiozor, a vacation judge, made the order yesterday following an ex parte application by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel Mr. Anselem Ozioko.

The EFCC, in documents filed in court, described the property as Building 3, Block B, Bella Vista Plot 1, Zone N, Federal Government Layout, Banana Island Foreshore Estate. It has 24 apartments, 18 flats and six penthouses.

The court also ordered the temporary forfeiture of $2,740,197.96 and N84,537,840.70, said to be part of the rent collected on the property.

The funds were said to have been found in a bank account.

Ozioko had told the judge that the EFCC reasonably suspected that the property was acquired with proceeds of Alison-Madueke's alleged unlawful activities.

He said the EFCC's investigation revealed that the former minister made the $37.5m payment for the property in cash, adding that the money was moved straight from her house in Abuja and paid into the seller's account in Abuja.

Ozioko added: "Nothing could be more suspicious than someone keeping such huge amounts in her apartment. Why was she doing that? To avoid attention.

"We are convinced beyond reasonable doubt because as of the time this happened, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke was still in public service as the Minister of Petroleum Resources."

The application was filed pursuant to Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, No. 14, 2006 and Section 44(2)(k) of the constitution.

Listed as respondents in the application are Mrs Alison-Madueke, a legal practitioner, Afamefuna Nwokedi, and a company, Rusimpex Limited.

In a 41-paragraph affidavit attached to the application, an EFCC investigative officer, Abdulrasheed Bawa, averred that Nwokedi, in connivance with Mrs Alison-Madueke, incorporated Rusimpex Limited, on September 11, 2013 to facilitate the alleged fraud scheme.

According to Bawa, when Nwokedi was questioned by the EFCC, the lawyer explained that he had approached the former minister for opportunities in the oil and gas industry but the ex-minister told him that being a lawyer, she did not have any such opportunity for him.

She allegedly asked him whether he could in the alternative manage landed properties, an offer which Nwokedi accepted.

Bawa stated that Nwokedi registered Rusimpex Limited at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). A lawyer in his law firm, Adetula Ayokunle, and a Russian, Vladmir Jourauleu, were listed as the directors of the company. The address of Nwokedi's law firm in Ikoyi, Lagos was registered as the business address of Rusimpex Limited.

The investigator added that when Ayokunle was questioned by the EFCC, he explained that he only signed the CAC documents on his boss' instruction. Jourauleu denied knowledge of the firm.

Bawa said: "Sometime in 2013, the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, invited Barrister Afamefuna Nwokedi, the Principal Counsel of Stillwaters Law Firm, to her house in Abuja for a meeting where she informed the said Barrister Afamefuna Nwokedi to incorporate a company and use same as a front to manage landed properties on her behalf without using her name in any of the incorporation documents.

"She further directed Mr. Afamefuna Nwokedi to meet with Mr. Bisi Onasanya, the Group Managing Director of First Bank of Nigeria Plc for that purpose.

"Mr. Stephen Onasanya was invited by the commission and he came and volunteered an extrajudicial statement wherein he stated that he marketed a property at Bella Vista, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, belonging to Mr. Youseff Fattau of Ibatex Nigeria Limited to Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke later bought the property from Mr. Youseff Fattau, through her lawyer, Mr. Afamefuna Nwokedi (who she introduced to him) and that payment for the said property was made through the Abuja office of First Bank of Nigeria Plc.

"First Bank of Nigeria Plc, through Mr. Barau Muazu, wrote to the commission and also volunteered an extrajudicial statement in writing that they made the payments totalling US37,500,000 to Ibatex Nigeria Limited & YF Construction Development and Real Estate Limited on behalf of Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and that they collected the entire cash from Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke at her residence of No. 10, Fredrick Chiluba Close of Jose Marti Street, Asokor, Abuja and paid into the First Bank of Nigeria Plc accounts of Ibatex and YF Construction Development and Real Estate Limited on her instruction."

After listening to Ozioko, Justice Obiozor ordered temporary seizure of the property and the funds.

He directed that the order should be published in a national newspaper.

Justice Obiozor adjourned till August 7 for anyone interested in the property and funds to appear before him.


____________________________________________________________

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