Court orders forfeiture of Diezani’s $4.760m houses to FG

Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered that two properties linked to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, be temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Justice Olatoregun gave the order on Tuesday.
He said the two properties: Penthouse 21, building 5, Block C, 11 floor (Bella Vista Estate) Banana Island, Ikoyi, and Penthouse 22, Block B (Admiralty Estate), also in Ikoyi, Lagos, be forfeited pending the conclusion of the investigation.
The order followed the granting of an ex-parte application for interim forfeiture of the properties filed and argued before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, through its lawyer, Anslem Ozioko.
The anti-graft agency in the ex-parte application marked FHC/L/CS/1793c/17, which has Alison-Madueke, Donald Amagbo, Schillenburg LLC and Sequoyah Property Limited as respondents, asked the court for an interim forfeiture order.
The EFCC also asked the court for an order prohibiting any disposal, conveyance, mortgage, lease, sale or alienation or otherwise of the said assets/properties as they were suspected to be proceed of unlawful activity.
The commission further asked for an order authorising it to appoint a competent person(s)/firms to manage the said two properties.
Ozioko told the court that the application was brought pursuant to sections 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and other fraud related offences Act number 14, 2006 and section 44(2)(b) and(k) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended.
The EFCC in an affidavit deposed to by one of its investigators, Abdulrasheed Bawa, stated that during investigation into the ownership of the two properties, YF Construction Development and Real Estate Limited and the firm’s Deputy Managing Director, Fadi Basbous, volunteered extra-judicial statement, wherein he stated that the two properties were sold at $3.570 million and $1.194 million and owned by Sequoyah Properties Limited and Schillenburg LLC.
The deponent also stated that the payment for the houses were made Angela Jide-Jones and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited respectively.
The deponent further stated that the said Jide-Jones is the wife of Jide Omokore, while the said Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited is registered and promoted by Omokore.
The deponent said Omokore paid for the properties through Jide-Jones and one of his companies and directed the developers (seller) of the properties to sign the agreements with Schillenburg LLC and Sequoyah Properties Limited, both of which are linked to Alison-Madueke.
According to the deponent, Schillenburg LLC was registered in Hongkong and transferred on March 30, 2012 to Donald Chidi Amamgbo as sole owner, while Sequoyah Properties Limited was registered in Nigeria on October 11, 2011 with fictitious names of Chukwudima Nwako and Olisa Eloka as shareholders and directors.
He added that Amamgbo stated in his extra judicial statement that he incorporated Schillenburg LLC and submitted same to Alison-Madueke for a transaction.
Justice Olatoregun, after listening to the submissions of the EFCC lawyer, granted the application and ordered that the two properties be temporary forfeited to the Federal government of Nigeria and also prohibited any disposal, conveyance mortgage, lease, sale or alienation or the said properties.
The judge, however, refused to grant the order authorising the anti-graft agency to appoint a competent person(s) or firm to manage the said two properties.
The matter has been adjourned till December 15.