tHE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to disregard the acquittal of former Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, by a United Kingdom court, describing the judgment as immaterial to the ongoing forfeiture proceedings involving assets linked to her.
The commission made the submission in a further counter-affidavit filed in opposition to Diezani’s application seeking to tender the June 17 judgment of the Southwark Crown Court in London, which discharged and acquitted her of bribery and corruption allegations.
Justice Inyang Ekwo had on July 1 granted the former minister permission to present the UK judgment as evidence in the suit.
However, the EFCC maintained that the proceedings in the UK had no bearing on the Nigerian case or the final forfeiture orders upon which the disputed assets were disposed of.
The anti-graft agency said: “The proceedings before the Southwark Crown Court, London, United Kingdom, and the purported acquittal of the applicant therein, are in respect of a proceeding that is not being prosecuted before any Nigerian court and have nothing to do with the substantive suit before this honourable court.”
The commission also urged the court to dismiss the application and the supplementary affidavit filed by the former minister, describing some of the depositions as misleading.
