EFCC opposes Diezani’s plea to present evidence of UK court judgment acquitting her
The commission argued that the purported acquittal of Diezani by a foreign criminal court was not material or relevant to the specific issues for determination before the instant court. The post EFCC…
Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria's former petroleum minister, has faced years of asset forfeiture proceedings and investigations in Nigeria and abroad over allegations of corruption linked to her tenure in the oil sector. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has pursued multiple cases against her, including the recovery and auction of properties and assets it says were acquired with proceeds of corruption, even as she has remained largely outside Nigeria and has not been tried domestically.
The current dispute centres on whether a UK court's acquittal of Diezani in a separate criminal matter can be introduced as evidence in her Abuja suit seeking to reclaim assets already auctioned by the EFCC. Both Vanguard and Premium Times report that the EFCC is resisting this move, arguing the foreign judgment has no bearing on the Nigerian proceedings, which concern the recovery of auctioned assets rather than the criminal allegations addressed in the UK case. The coverage does not indicate when the court will rule on the admissibility of the UK judgment or the broader status of Diezani's asset recovery claim.