EFCC Withdraws Money Laundering Charges Against Diezani

Justice Binta Murtala Nyako of a federal high
court in Abuja has struck out the names of
former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani
Alison-Madueke, and a businessman, Chief
Kolawole Akanni Aluko, from the criminal charges
filed against them
While Madueke is in the United Kingdom, Akanni
-Aluko is said to be at large.
Justice Nyako struck out their names after the
prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN,
made an application to that effect.
Alison-Madueke and Akanni-Aluko were initially
charged alongside Babajide John Omokore,
Atlantic Energy Brass Development Ltd, Atlantic
Energy Drilling Concept Ltd, Victor Briggs, Abiye
Membere and David Mbanefo for alleged crude
oil fraud.
However, Omokore and others were arraigned
but they pleaded not guilty to the charges
against them.
Interestingly, the prosecutor Jacobs, did not
oppose the applications, but however told the
judge to give them conditions that would make
them appear in court for trial.

After the arguments on bail, Justice Nyako
granted each of them bail in the sum N50
million.
Omokore and others were arraigned before the
court on a nine-count charge slammed against
them by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC).
In her ruling on the bail application of the
defendants, Justice Nyako said each of the
defendants must produce a surety, who must
either be a senior civil servant or must have a
landed property.
She said the sureties must depose to an affidavit
of means and that the defendants must also
deposit their international passport with the
court.