Diezani: UK acquittal won’t end Nigeria’s probe, HEDA says

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda has said the acquittal of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, by a United Kingdom court does not end corruption investigations and asset-recovery proceedings against her in Nigeria.

HEDA, in a statement on Sunday by its chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, said the June 17 verdict of the Southwark Crown Court Jury should be respected but limited to the specific bribery charges prosecuted in the UK.

The group said the verdict did not determine the outcome of separate allegations and proceedings under Nigerian law.

HEDA urged the Federal Government to continue pursuing viable cases against the former minister based on credible evidence, due process and the rule of law.

“The UK judgment should be respected for what it is: a decision on the specific criminal charges for crimes committed under the UK laws that were before the court.

“It should neither be misrepresented as proof of guilt nor as a blanket determination of every allegation, investigation or asset-recovery proceeding connected to the former minister,” Suraju said.

HEDA said it had monitored the Alison-Madueke case for years and documented it in its Compendium of 100 High-Profile Corruption Cases.

It recalled that its 2020 edition highlighted efforts to bring the former minister before a Nigerian court, including an order directing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to produce her for trial.

The organisation also said it had tracked forfeiture proceedings involving properties and other assets linked to Alison-Madueke, including her challenges to the EFCC’s efforts to dispose of forfeited assets.

According to HEDA, criminal prosecution and asset recovery are separate legal processes, meaning the failure of a criminal case does not automatically determine the status of assets involved in separate proceedings.

It urged the EFCC and other relevant agencies to independently assess available evidence and pursue viable cases while respecting constitutional safeguards, including fair hearing and protection against double jeopardy.

HEDA also said Nigeria must not rely on foreign courts to determine whether Nigerians accused of corruption should face justice.

“Nigeria must not wait for foreign courts to determine whether Nigerians accused of corruption should face justice.

“Our institutions must sustain and improve the investigative capacity, evidence-gathering systems and international cooperation mechanisms required to pursue complex corruption cases, wherever the proceeds may have been moved,” it said.

The group noted that the Alison-Madueke case had an international asset-recovery dimension, with previous proceedings involving properties and other assets linked to her in the UK and United States.

It urged Nigerian authorities to clarify the status of the various corruption cases and asset-recovery proceedings involving the former minister.

HEDA also demanded greater transparency in the management of recovered and forfeited assets, saying Nigerians should know what had been recovered, where the assets were located, how they were being managed and how recovered funds were being deployed.

Suraju said the real test was whether Nigeria could effectively investigate corruption, prosecute cases and recover stolen public resources.

“The ultimate test is not whether justice can be obtained in London or any other foreign jurisdiction. The test is whether Nigeria has institutions capable of investigating credible allegations, prosecuting cases based on evidence, recovering the proceeds of corruption and ensuring that those resources are returned transparently to the Nigerian people,” he said. (Punch)