Diezani loses $4.760m houses to Government
A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of two houses valued at $4.760m allegedly belonging to the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.
The property are – Penthouse 21, Building 5, Block C, 11th floor (Bella Vista Estate) Banana Island, Ikoyi and Penthouse 22, Block B (Admiralty Estate) also in Ikoyi, Lagos.
Following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Justice Mojisola Olatoregun ordered that the buildings be forfeited to the Federal Government.
The Commission’s lawyer, Mr. ABC Ozioko, told the court that he had a motion on notice for a final forfeiture order in respect of the properties.
The lawyer explained that the interim forfeiture order made on December 5 last year was advertised in a Newspaper as ordered by the court.
The respondents’ counsel, Mr. Emmanuel Bassey, did not object to the prayers.
Justice Olatoregun granted the orders as prayed.
“I have observed the facts and exhibits attached and I am also mindful that the second, third and fourth respondents have no objections to the application.
“I, therefore, have no hesitation in ordering a final forfeiture of the properties to the federal government.”
Mrs. Alison-Madueke, Donald Amangbo, Schillenburg LLC and Sequoyah Property Limited are the respondents in the matter.
The Commission said the companies in whose names the companies were acquired belong to the former minister.
An EFCC investigator, Abdulrasheed Bawa, in an affidavit, said sometime in 2016, a search warrant was executed at Amangbo’s premises.
He said Amangbo was “an acquaintance of Mrs. Alison Madueke.”
The investigator said one of the documents recovered from Amamgbo led the operatives to the Deputy Managing Director of YF Construction Development and Real Estate Limited, Mr. Fadi Basbous.
The deponent said Basbous made a statement where he stated that the two properties were sold at $3.570million and $1.194million and are owned by Sequoyah Properties Limited and Schillenburg LLC.