A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a series of publications by the commission alleging that she stole billions while in office, SaharaReporters said.
The court document filed on May 26, 2023, and obtained by SaharaReporters on Friday, said the anti-graft authority had authored several reports in a manner that portrayed the former official “as a common looter of the national wealth and a debased and corrupt public officer.
“The publications are blatantly false and misleading,” she said in the suit.
Alison-Madueke is the claimant and the EFCC is the sole respondent, while the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, is the second defendant in the suit.
The EFCC chair, Abdulrasheed Bawa, had in May said that $153 million and over 80 properties had been recovered from Mrs Alison-Madueke.
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Mrs Alison-Madueke is believed to have fled to the United Kingdom after leaving public office as the petroleum minister, a position she held between 2010 and 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
She is being investigated for money laundering in the UK, an investigation many anti-corruption activists have described as taking too long.
In the lawsuit, Mrs. Alison-Madueke demanded the sum of N100 billion as damages against the EFCC for the false publications.
She filed the suit at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) court through her counsel Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
She requested “A DECLARATION that the publication made on the 16th day of December, 2021, titled “Diezani: EFCC uncovers additional $72.8 million in Fidelity Bank”, authored by the 1st Defendant under the supervision of the 2nd Defendant and widely published by the 1st and 2nd Defendants, is libelous, false, malicious, injurious and intended to lower the reputation and integrity of and did indeed lower the reputation and integrity of the Claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria and also brought the Claimant into public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy.
“A DECLARATION that the publication made on the 8th day of August, 2017, titled, “Unbelievable!!! EFCC traces N47.2 Billion, $487.5 Million to ex-Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke” , authored by the Defendant under the supervision of the 2nd Defendant and widely published by the 1st Defendant, is false, malicious, injurious and intended to lower the reputation and integrity of and did indeed lower the reputation and integrity of the Claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria and also brought the Claimant into public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy.
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“A DECLARATION that the publication titled, “By virtue of an order of the Federal High Court of Nigeria sitting in Abuja, Diezani Alison Madueke, had forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the sum of $40,000,000.00, (forty million dollars) only, which jewelries were found and recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the premises of the Respondent and reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of the Respondent’s unlawful activities”, made by the honourable court on Monday, 24th day of January, 2022, relying on the false information made available to the court by the 1st Defendant in a court process dated and filed on the 4th day of July, 2019, and widely published in print media, online and hard copies by various media houses are libelous, false, malicious, injurious and intended to lower the reputation and integrity of and did indeed lower the reputation and integrity of the Claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria and also brought the Claimant into public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy.
“A DECLARATION that the publication titled “By virtue of an order of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, sitting in Abuja, the Prosecution Counsel to liaise with the office of the Attorney General of the Federation towards the extradition of the Defendant”, made by the honourable court on the 28th day of October, 2020, relying on the false information made available to the court by the 1st Defendant in a court process dated and filed on the 13th day of November, 2018, and widely published in the print media, online and hard copies by various media houses are libelous, false, malicious, injurious; were intended to lower the reputation and integrity of, and did indeed lower the reputation and integrity of the Claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria and also brought the Claimant into public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy.
“A DECLARATION that the claims and publication made by the 1st Defendant on the 16th of December, 2021, to the effect that it had uncovered an additional $72.8 Million, in Fidelity Bank, purportedly belonging to the Claimant; and widely published by the 1st Defendant in the print media, online and hard copies by various media houses are libelous, false, malicious, injurious; were intended to lower the reputation and integrity of, and did indeed lower the reputation and integrity of the Claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria and also brought the Claimant into public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy. (http//:www.premiumtimesng.com).
“A DECLARATION that the false and defamatory statement made by the 1st Defendant of and concerning the Claimant on or about 17th of February, 2022, (Channels Television https//:www.channelstv.com→video), to the effect that the Claimant should be extradited for stealing a sum of $2.5 Billion belonging to the Nigerian government, which she must account for, which was widely published by the 1st Defendant in the print media, online and hard copies by various media houses are libelous, false, malicious, injurious; were intended to lower the reputation and integrity of, and did indeed lower the reputation and integrity of the Claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria and also brought the Claimant into public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy.
“A DECLARATION that the false and defamatory statement made by the 1st Defendant of and concerning the Claimant on or about 8th August, 2017, (http//:www.premiutimesng.com_unbelievable!!!EFCCtracesN47.2Billion,$487.5Million…) to the effect that the Claimant has embezzled the sum of N47.2Billion belonging to the Nigerian government which was widely published by the 1st Defendant in the print media, online and hard copies by various media houses are libelous, false, malicious, injurious; were intended to lower the reputation and integrity of, and did indeed lower the reputation and integrity of the Claimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society within and outside Nigeria and also brought the Claimant into public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision and obloquy.
“AN ORDER directing the 1st and 2nd Defendants to retract the libelous publications against the Claimant, and also publish an unreserved apology in at least three (3) national newspapers, including Thisday, The Punch and The Sun Newspapers within seven (7) days from the date of judgment.
“AN ORDER restraining the 1st and 2nd Defendants, whether acting by themselves, servants, agents, operatives or by whomever and howsoever from distributing or further distributing, publishing or further publishing in any form or manner, the same or similar offensive libelous materials or stories of or concerning the Claimant.
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“AN ORDER directing the Defendants jointly and severally to pay to the Claimant the sum of N100,000,000,000.00 (100 billion naira) only as damages for the false, injurious, malicious and libelous publications against the Claimant in the 1st Defendant’s publishing platform, and at the instance of both the 1st and the 2nd Defendants.
“Cost of this suit as may be assessed by this honourable court.”
SaharaReporters had in January reported that the embattled former minister also filed a lawsuit before the Federal High Court in Abuja to vacate an order obtained by the EFCC for final forfeiture of her seized assets.
In an originating motion, Alison-Madueke sought an order extending the time limit for seeking leave to apply to the court for an order to set aside the EFCC’s public notice to conduct a public sale on her property.
SaharaReporters had reported how Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the Federal High Court, Abuja ordered the final forfeiture of two properties and two cars belonging to Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to the Nigerian Government last October.
Since the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari led-Federal Government took over the office in 2015, the former minister relocated to the United Kingdom.
The Nigerian government through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seized all her properties declaring that it was acquired through illegal means.