UK investigators in Nigeria, join EFCC to probe Diezani •Ex-minister’s probe began in 2013 –Britain

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs.

Diezani Alison-Madueke

The British National Crime Agency has dispatched a

team of detectives to Nigeria who are now working

with the operatives of the Economic and Financial

Crimes Commission to probe Diezani Alison-

Madueke, Nigeria’s former Petroleum Minister,

during the administration of ex-President Goodluck

Jonathan.

Findings by SUNDAY PUNCH revealed that the

team of investigators from the UK Police was

drawn from the Seizures Organised Crimes Agency.

A top operative of the EFCC, who spoke to one of

our correspondents on condition of anonymity on

Saturday, said the SOCA team had been involved in

a discreet investigation of Alison-Madueke for two

months before they finally moved against her.

The former petroleum minister left Nigeria shortly

before the inauguration of President Muhammadu

Buhari in May this year.

It was further gathered that the team from SOCA

had been working alongside a team of EFCC

operatives from the Subsidy Unit led by a Chief

Superintendent of Police.

The EFCC team was constituted in August 2015 by

the Chairman of the anti-corruption agency,

Ibrahim Lamorde, to investigate the activities of

Alison-Madueke and the Nigerian National

Petroleum Corporation.

The SU team was mandated to probe all the

accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum

Corporation, which were under the supervision of

the former minister.

SUNDAY PUNCH gathered on Saturday that the

intensified investigation into the activities of the

former minister was being supervised by Lamorde

and the Director of Operations of the EFCC, Mr.

Olusola Adegbite.

Investigations further showed that the operatives

from the subsidy unit of the EFCC carried out the

operation at Alison-Madueke’s Asokoro residence in

Abuja, following her arrest on Friday.

An operative of the commission, who spoke on

condition of anonymity, disclosed that the EFCC’s

subsidy team ransacked the residence of the

former minister for hours.

The operatives were said to have recovered several

files from the ex-minister’s residence and they

were carted away for further analysis by the

combined team of investigators from the EFCC and

the SOCA.

It was gathered that the operatives did not find

anybody within the residence to guide them, so

they had to get some security personnel who had

worked with the former minister to gain access

into the building through one of the windows.

It was further stated that the operatives later got

the keys and searched all the rooms in the house

for hours before they carted away the files.

The source said, “When our operatives got there,

there was nobody in the building. What they did was

to get the security men who were working with her

to guide them through the building.

“They entered the building through one of the

windows and later found the keys with which they

accessed all the rooms. They found some documents

in some files and they carted them away.”

Ex-minister’s probe began in 2013 — Britain

Similarly, the NCA has revealed that contrary to

speculations that the corruption investigation

leading to the arrest of Nigeria’s former

Petroleum Minister started in 2013.

The Nigerian media, both the traditional and social

media platforms, were awash with reports that it

was President Buhari’s recent meeting with the

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David

Cameron, and other world leaders that led to the

investigation and arrest of Alison-Madueke.

The ex-minister and current President of the

Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

was arrested on Friday by the NCA’s recently

formed International Corruption Unit, along with

four other persons.

She was arrested in London as part of an

investigation into suspected bribery and money

laundering offences.

Alison-Madueke was, however, granted bail but her

passport was withheld by the British authorities,

pending further investigations, both in the UK and

other countries.

In an update on its website, the NCA noted that

the investigation started about two years ago.

“The investigation commenced in 2013 under the

Proceeds of Corruption Unit, and transferred to

the NCA earlier this year (2015). The International

Corruption Unit investigates bribery of foreign

public officials by individuals or companies from the

UK and money laundering by corrupt foreign

officials and their associates,” it stated.

The UK crime agency added that the ICU would also

trace and recover the proceeds of Alison-

Madueke’s alleged corruption and support Nigeria’s

law enforcement agencies with international anti-

corruption investigations.

Meanwhile, the Coordinator of a UK-based group,

Security in Africa, Mr. Ben Oguntala, told SUNDAY

PUNCH that the arrest and possible prosecution of

Alison-Madueke would only scratch the problem of

corruption in Nigeria at its surface.

He said, “To have a simple Police Unit in the UK

bring up partial evidence of corruption against a

former minister is barely scratching the surface.

You cannot fight corruption in this manner; it is

far too complicated for ordinary corruption

prosecution.

“What would have made this case extraordinary

would be if Mrs. Madueke decides to reveal all.

However, she is unlikely to do that, if your

strategy is to arrest her first, embarrass her and

drag her through the UK courts with little or

insufficient evidence. Now, she will get a good

lawyer and make the process the lengthiest as

legally permissible.”

According to Oguntala, what President Buhari

needs to do is not to allow a UK-led corruption

charges.

He noted that the British government’s approach

at fighting corruption cases emanating from

Nigeria is putting the cart before the horse.

Also reacting to the ex-minister’s arrest, the

Executive Director of Coalition Against Corrupt

Leaders, Mr. Debo Adeniran, told SUNDAY PUNCH

that the news of Alison-Madueke’s arrest in the UK

was a good one.

According to him, the news will show the world that

Nigeria is serious about fighting corruption and

impunity usually perpetrated by its public officials.

“It came as a cheering news when we heard about

her arrest in the UK. I felt relieved; at least a big

fish has been caught in the cause of our anti-

corruption crusade. It also shows that President

Buhari is intent on bringing to book those who have

looted the country’s treasury.

“We also want the Organisation of Petroleum

Exporting Countries as an august organisation to

deem it fit to replace Alison-Madueke as its

president. She does not enjoy the trust and

respect of Nigerians,” Adeniran stated.

Checks on the webesite of OPEC on Saturday night

showed that the organisation had been quoting its

alternate president, Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al

Sada, lately.

There was no recent mention of Alison-Madueke.

Efforts to get the Presidency to comment on the

incident failed on Saturday.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and

Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, kept mum.

He also refused to speak on whether or not the

Federal Government would seek the ex-minister’s

extradition.

Source:PunchNg