By By Micheal Chukwuebuka
DIEZANI Alison-Madueke, the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, has petitioned the Federal High Court in Abuja to halt the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from selling her seized assets.
According to court documents filed by her legal team, led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, Diezani claims the EFCC’s decision to auction her assets violates her right to a fair hearing.
RELATED STORY: Court Orders Final Forfeiture of Diezani’s Abuja Homes, Cars
Diezani argues she was never properly served with legal notices or involved in the proceedings leading to the forfeiture orders.
Diezani Alison-Madueke
She contests the legality of these orders, stating they were obtained under questionable circumstances and should be set aside.
Moreover, Diezani points out she has never been convicted of any crime linked to the seized assets, making the sale of her properties unjustified.
Diezani’s legal team asserts that the courts were misled into making final forfeiture orders against her based on suppressed or undisclosed material facts.
They argue the applications for forfeiture were obtained through misstatements, misrepresentations, and concealment of facts, and thus the court has the power to set aside these orders.
EFCC-operatives
The EFCC, however, maintains that the sale of Diezani’s properties was conducted in execution of final forfeiture orders granted by Justice C.A. Obiozor and Justice I. N. Oweibo in 2019.
The commission claims it followed due process and invited interested parties to show cause before the forfeiture orders were made.
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