EFCC says former minister has mastered art of dodging, running

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has become quite the artful dodger.

The commission says it just can't lay its hands on Diezani, hard as it has tried.

Diezani left Nigeria in 2015 as soon as Muhammadu Buhari won that year’s presidential election. She’s been haunted at home and abroad for a slew of financial crimes and alleged corruption since that time.

Diezani has also refused to return home.

According to the anti-graft agency, Diezani stole Nigeria dry through accomplices Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko—two men who were involved in oil swap deals with the Nigerian government between 2011 and 2015.

The EFCC has preferred a nine count charge of criminal diversion of about $1.6B against Diezani’s accomplices, even as it tries to rein in the lady herself.

ALSO READ: The unbelievable figures of Diezani's loot

“She was involved in various corrupt practices, money laundering, stealing of public funds and illegal acquisition of properties within and outside Nigeria”, a detective with the EFCC, Rufai Zaki, deposed in a counter affidavit.

The EFCC said at the tail end of Diezani’s tenure “as Minister of Petroleum Resources, the commission received a lot of complaints and intelligence reports against her.

“Investigations had commenced in respect of her various nefarious illegal financial activities while she was the Minister of Petroleum Resources. But Diezani absconded from Nigeria in order to escape the investigation and prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

“Upon realising that Diezani is in the United Kingdom, we made efforts to schedule a meeting with her in order to interview her in respect of her involvement in the activities leading to this charge and many other alleged financial crimes linked to her but up till now, she had always avoided having any meeting with members of our team”.

The EFCC also says Diezani’s lawyer in the UK, John Binns of BCL Solicitors, has frustrated all attempts by the anti-graft commission to meet with Diezani in the UK and bring her home for trial.

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According to the anti-graft agency; "Diezani’s lawyer in the United Kingdom, one John Binns of BCL Solicitors, informed the members of the team of investigators headed by when they visited the United Kingdom in March, 2017, that the team would not be permitted to meet Diezani for any interview in view of the fact that she is not within the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“While in the United Kingdom, Diezani had been invited by the Metropolitan Police, who are investigating her for several other financial crimes.

“She has been released on bail in the United Kingdom but could not leave the United Kingdom as their investigations have reached advanced stages.”

Property worth billions of dollars allegedly belonging to Diezani, have also been seized at home and abroad.