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Appeal court upholds ruling ordering Diezani to forfeit $40m jewelry

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The Court of Appeal Lagos Division has, in a decision on Friday, upheld a lower court’s judgment that ordered former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to forfeit $40 million jewelry to the federal government.

The appellate court gave its judgment in an appeal marked CA/L/1263/19 between Diezani Alison-Madueke and the EFCC.

The court, dismissed an appeal filed by the embattled former Minister challenging the forfeiture order, saying that there was no substance in Alison-Madueke’s application to overturn the lower court’s order.

Alison-Madueke had challenged the seizure of the jewelries from her premises by the EFCC.

An affidavit filed on her behalf by her counsel, Prof Awa Kalu (SAN), Diezani alleged that the EFCC violated her fundamental “right to own property and to appropriate them at her discretion,” under sections 43 and 44 of the constitution.

She also accused the anti-graft agency of entering her apartment illegally and taking the items without any court order.

Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court, Lagos, had in a 2019 judgment, ruled that the jewelry be forfeited following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The jewelry, categorised into 33 sets, include “419 expensive bangles; 315 expensive rings; 304 expensive earrings; 267 expensive necklaces; 189 expensive wristwatches; 174 expensive necklaces and earrings; 78 expensive bracelets; 77 expensive brooches; and 74 expensive pendants.”

They were seized from the former minister’s premises, at No. 10 Fredrick Chiluba Close, Asokoro, Abuja.

Justice Oweibo held that the former Minister failed to show cause why the jewelry should not be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The appellate court dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.

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