UK refuses request to repatriate ex-Minister of Petroleum for trial
The United Kingdom (UK) government has turned down the request by the International Police Organisation (INTERPOL), Nigeria, to repatriate former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Deziani Alison-Madueke.
According to The Will, head of INTERPOL, National Central Bureau (NCB), Nigeria, AIG Garba Baba Umar, disclosed this on the sidelines of an investigative hearing by an ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives on the illegal sale of Nigeria’s crude oil chaired by Mark Gbillah.
Responding to a question from a member of the committee, Jude Ngaji, representing the Ogoja/Yala federal constituency of Cross River State, on why Mrs Alison-Madueke has not been repatriated to the country, Umar said all the processes of Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) to bring the former minister back to Nigeria were followed, but the UK government refused the request.
He added that Mrs Madueke also went to court in the UK to block her repatriation.
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“The issue of Diezani, a warrant of arrest was issued. I am sorry to say the government of the UK turned down our request. We followed the MLA. You can check, that is mutual legal assistance to bring her back home. She also went to court.
“The Director of Public Prosecution from the ministry we have been doing issues of extradition, issue of reparation and so on, this is the normal procedure that has been in existence.
“The NCB deals with the head of all correspondences if the request for assistance comes to my table. They write to me, EFCC, NIS, and all other agencies asking me to assist them on a matter.
“All I need to do just like what the chairman said is to scrutinise the papers and go through the documents that were brought before me.
“You can’t place somebody on a watchlist or red notice, ordinarily I would have done it, but I can’t do that because they have to show me evidence and we have to get help from the other person. It’s the normal procedure Mr Chairman.
“With respect to assistance, we repatriated many Nigerians who were alleged to have swindled the Nigerian government.
“I went personally and brought Maina from Niger; I brought the former Attorney General of the Federation from Dubai and many other Nigerians who absconded, we brought them back to face justice and those who are in Nigeria hiding, we took them back to their various countries to face justice”, he said.
Mrs Alison-Madueke was the Minister of Petroleum who superintends over the opaque Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) between 2010 and 2015 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been investigating broad corruption cases involving the former minister and seized $153 million and over 80 properties after she escaped to the United Kingdom and remained immediately after she left public office.
The EFCC has been trying to bring her back to Nigeria to face pending charges against her but all efforts proved abortive.
Her name has featured either as the main defendant or an accomplice in numerous corruption cases filed in court by the EFCC since her exit from office.
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