The U.S government has returned $52.88 million loot traced to Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard M. Mills, Jr, led a delegation that executed the Assets Return Agreement at the Federal Ministry of Justice Headquarters in Abuja, on Friday.
Signing the agreement on behalf of the Federal Government, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), revealed that the $52.88m came from the forfeiture of Galactica assets, linked to the ex-Minister and her associates.
Fagbemi emphasised that the development was not only a testament to the commitment of both countries to fight corruption, but also signified the commitment of the U.S to facilitate restitution and support integrity and accountability in governance.
He said: “Measures have also been put in place to ensure that the repatriated funds are not only disbursed but also utilized transparently and accountably by the World Bank and IIJ, with periodic reports to be forwarded to Nigeria and the US on the implementation of the projects.
“This robust framework will guarantee that the funds are effectively used for the full benefit of the Nigerian people in line with UNCAC and the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) principles.”
Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria’s first Petroleum minister under the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration between 2010-2015.
Upon leaving office, she was accused of financial misappropriation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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On August 14, 2017, Diezani openly disagreed with allegations of misappropriating funds during her time as a minister.
She said the anti-graft agency was taking advantage of her silence to try and convict her in the media hence her response.
Meanwhile, the EFCC had alleged the former minister by an order of a Federal High Court had forfeited $153.3 million to the Federal Government.
Responding, Diezani released a statement, saying, “I wish to state I cannot forfeit what was never mine. I do not know the basis on which the EFCC has chosen to say that I am the owner of these funds as no evidence was provided to me before the order was obtained, and they have not, in fact, served me with the order or any evidence since they obtained it.
“Let me re-state categorically as I have always maintained, for the record, I have not and will never steal money from or defraud the Federal Government of Nigeria. I am willing to respond to charges brought against me that follow duly laid down procedures.”
The former Minister dared the EFCC to without further delay, publish details of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC’s accounts from where the said $153.3 million was taken.
In 2023, she was reportedly charged with bribery offences in the UK, having been suspected of accepting financial rewards for awarding multi-million dollar oil and gas contracts.
She, however, also denied the allegations.
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