A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered permanent forfeiture of two Abuja exotic houses and two luxury vehicles belonging to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke to the Federal Government.
The two properties are located at Plot 1854, Mohammed Mahashir Street, and No. 6, Aso Drive, Asokoro and Maitama Districts of Abuja and are valued at $2,674,418 and N380 million respectively.
The luxury cars are a black BMW saloon with Chassis No B8CV54V66629 and registration number RBC155 DH and a black Jaguar saloon car with Chassis No SAJAA.20 GRDMv43376, valued at N36 million.
Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon gave the order while ruling on the application brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a suit asking for the final forfeiture of the assets to the federal government.
EFCC had on November 29, 2021, secured the interim forfeiture on the assets in a ruling on separate motion ex-parte filed on September 27, 2021, which urged the court to order the interim forfeiture of the assets on the grounds of reasonable suspicion that they were proceeds of unlawful activities.
Granting the interim forfeiture order, Olajuwon had mandated that the EFCC issue a notice in a national newspaper, inviting anyone having an interest in the assets to show cause as to why they should not be finally forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
In compliance with the Order of Court, the Forfeiture Order was published in the Newspaper of April 6, 2022.
In the absence of any contestation of the interim order, the court today ordered the forfeiture of the properties to the Federal Government.
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