Diezani Seeks Court Order to Stop EFCC from Selling Her Seized Assets

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, is seeking a court order to prevent the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from selling off properties seized from her.

In legal documents filed through her lawyers, led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, the former Minister has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to issue an order directing the anti-graft agency to retrieve any of her properties sold to individuals or corporate entities.

According to her, the EFCC, acting on a notice issued in 2023 and in breach of her fundamental right to fair hearing, began a public auction of assets linked to her.

Diezani further stated that the EFCC based its decision to sell off her properties on final forfeiture orders obtained from various courts across the country.

“In many cases, the final forfeiture orders were made against properties which affected the Applicant’s interest, the courts were misled into making the final order of forfeiture against the Applicant, based on suppression or non-disclosure of material facts.

The several applications upon which the courts made the final order of forfeiture against the Applicant were obtained upon gross misstatements, misrepresentations, non-disclosure, concealment and suppression of material facts and thus court has the power to set aside same ex-debito justitiae, as a void order is as good as if it was never made at all,” Diezani said.