The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has obtained an arrest warrant as it begins the extradition process of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, from the United Kingdom back to Nigeria, to face the 13-count charges bordering on money laundering levelled against her by the anti-graft agency.
The commission further revealed that the money laundering charges for which Alison-Madueke is answerable to the EFCC cover jurisdictions in Dubai – the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Nigeria.
The former minister appeared before the Westminster Magistrates Court in London over an alleged £100,000 bribe.
The district judge, Michael Snow, granted Alison-Madueke a £70,000 bail and further imposed other terms on the former minister including an 11 pm to 6 am curfew, an electronic tag to be worn by her at all times and a £70,000 surety to be paid before she could leave the court building.
Diezani was the Minister of Petroleum Resources from 2010 to 2015 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Shortly before Jonathan handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, she left the country.
She is scheduled to have her next court appearance at Southwark Crown Court, which deals with serious criminal cases on 30 OctobeAlison-Madueke, who was Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015, was charged with bribery offences in August, following a National Crime Agency investigation.
She allegedly received bribes as Nigeria’s petroleum minister in the form of cash, luxury goods, flights on private jets and the use of high-end properties in Britain in return for awarding oil contracts,
