EFCC discovers Diezani's
$37.5m Mansion in Lagos.
The Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission has discovered a $37.5m (N11.75bn) luxury high-rise
building on Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, allegedly belonging to the embattled
former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
The exquisite
15-storey building which is located on the highbrow Banana Island in Lagos is
the latest on the list of choice properties said to have been acquired by the
ex-minister with alleged stolen public fund, It is an 18 flat edifice.
A reliable EFCC source
said yesterday that the ownership of the building was discovered this week in
the course of the investigation of the former minister.
The source said: “The
property Building 3, Block B, is a 15 storey edifice comprising 18 flats and 6
penthouses, Bella Vista at Plot 1, Zone N, Federal Government Layout, Banana
Island Layout, Foreshore Estate, Off On ikoyi Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
“The property was
acquired by the former minister between 2011 and 2012 at a total cost of
$37,500,000USD from the developers, YF Construction Development and Real
Estate.
“It was acquired in the
name of a Shell company, Rusimpex Limited under the control of a certain
Mr. Afamefuna Nwokedi in Lagos.
“The investigation continues.”
The EFCC source said the
agency might seize the property.
His words: “We will do
this after the completion of investigation and obtaining of all title
documents.”
Sections 28 and 34 of
the EFCC (Establishment Act) 2004 and Section 13(1) of the Federal High Court
Act, 2004 empower the anti-graft agency to invoke Interim Assets Forfeiture
Clause.
Section 28 of the EFCC
Act reads: ‘Where a person is arrested for an offence under this Act, the
Commission shall immediately trace and attach all the assets and properties of
the person acquired as a result of such economic or financial crime and shall
thereafter cause to be obtained an interim attachment order from the Court.’
Section 13 of the Federal
High Court Act reads in part: “The Court may grant an injunction or appoint a
receiver by an interlocutory order in all cases in which it appears to the
Court to be just or convenient so to do.
(2) Any such order may be
made either unconditionally or on such terms and conditions as the Court thinks
just.”
Properties which EFCC
records show as belonging to Mrs.Alison-Madueke are:
- A
block of 6 unit service apartments at Awolowo Road, Ikoyi
*Six unit terrace flats
in Yaba, Lagos
- Twin
four-bedroom duplexes in Lekki Phase I
- Two
duplexes in Banana Island
- A
duplex in Asokoro. District, Abuja
- A
mini-estate in Mabushi, Abuja
- A
set of 12 terrace duplexes at Omaremi Street in Port Harcourt
- Large
expanse of land at Oniru, Victoria Island in Lagos
* A multi-billion Naira
estate in Yenagoa
* Two apartments in
Dubai marked as J5 Emirates Hills (30million Dirham) and E146 Emirates
Hills valued at 44million Dirham
* A hotel in Port
Harcourt under investigation.
The former
minister in a January 21 2017 lengthy statement in London denied being a thief.
She accused the EFCC of taking
advantage of her silence all this while to put her on media trial and cited the
$153million which she was accused of withdrawing from the accounts
of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation( NNPC) while in office.
She said
that as the petroleum minister, the operation and management of NNPC finances
were “outside my purview as outlined in both the Petroleum Act and the NNPC
Act.”
She added:” The only involvement
I had in NNPC finances was in terms of statutory matters, where the Petroleum
Act prescribed that as Minister, there were certain duties or actions which I
had to perform or take in relation to NNPC.”
On the alleged
$700million found in her house and some mansions traced to her, Diezani accused
EFCC of witch-hunt, saying: “On the 13th of June 2016, the EFCC once again took
their well-trodden path to the media. This time claiming that they had
‘discovered’ a mansion in Asokoro, Abuja, worth $18million (approx.
N9billion) which they purported to belong to me. The EFCC went to the extent of
bringing in Aljazeera, an international TV station, to air a damaging
documentary against me in this regard, showing a particular residential
building in Asokoro, Abuja, which they told Aljazeera belonged to me
“The EFCC Chairman
Ibrahim Magu, personally took the Aljazeera reporter to the building, alleging
that it belonged to me. It has since become apparent that the house belongs to
a company owned by Mr Kola Aluko.
“If this is not a
witch-hunt or a personal vendetta against me, how is it that one of our
country’s premier investigative agencies were unable to avail themselves of
facts that are freely available in the public domain.
“Since the EFCC claims
that the alleged $18million Asokoro property belongs to me, then they should
kindly produce the ‘Authentic’ Certificate of Occupancy and Land Registry
information and any other relevant information, as proof of my ownership of the
property.
“On the 9th November
2016, the EFCC visited our family home in Yenagoa (Bayelsa State) as pre-agreed
and they were escorted around the premises. I was therefore completely shocked
to once again see my name sensationally splashed across the front pages of
newspapers and widely circulated on the internet, with blaring headlines such
as “EFCC UNCOVERS DIEZANI’S MULTI-BILLION NAIRA ESTATE” – Nation Newspaper,
January 8, 2017 (Annex- 4A). There was absolutely nothing ‘Hidden’ or
‘Concealed’ about the home.
“I had declared it
openly as required by Law, in my Asset declaration forms (Annex-4B). Yet the
EFCC have announced that they ‘Just discovered’ my ‘Hidden Estate’! And
labelled it a ‘Multi-Billion Naira Estate’! Even though they had been given the
Bill of Quantities, showing actual amount spent.
“It is an accepted
tradition across the length and breadth of Nigeria, for people to own
country/village homes. Given the size of the land and the location of the
compound, the buildings thereon cannot by any stretch of the imagination be a
“Multi-Billion Naira” palatial estate, as the news mongers would want to
portray.”
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