Former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to halt the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from auctioning her confiscated properties.
Through her lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), she also requested that the court order the EFCC to retrieve any already sold assets. She argued that the agency violated her right to a fair hearing by proceeding with the sale based on forfeiture orders obtained without her knowledge.
“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 materials facts,” she stated.
Diezani claimed she was never served any charges or summons and was unaware of the forfeiture proceedings, as she had been outside Nigeria for medical treatment since 2015. She insisted that no court had convicted her of any wrongdoing to justify the asset seizure.
Meanwhile, the EFCC opposed her suit, stating that the properties were sold legally following final forfeiture orders issued in 2019. The agency maintained that public notices were issued before the sale, and the orders remain valid.
During Monday’s court session, Diezani’s counsel requested more time to respond to EFCC’s filings. The judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, adjourned the case to March 27 but warned against further delays, noting the case has been pending since 2023.
Previously, Diezani had also filed a N100 billion defamation lawsuit against the EFCC, accusing it of publishing defamatory materials that portrayed her as a “treasury looter.
