Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke has been ordered by Justice Abdulaziz Anka led Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday to forfeit 56 houses linked to her to the Federal government.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission claimed that Diezani acquired the said houses located in Lagos and Port Harcourt between 2011 and 2013 using front companies.
EFCC said the former Minister paid $21,982,224 for the properties, adding that the funds were allegedly from proceeds of crime.
The Commission listed the properties to include 29 terraced houses comprising eight four-bedroomed penthouse apartments, six three-bedroom apartments, two three-bedroom maisonettes, two twin bedroom apartments and one four-bedroom apartment.
Court to hear Alison-Madueke’s application on Oct. 30
It will be recalled that another court had ordered the temporary forfeiture of a property at Banana Island, Lagos, bought for $37.5m in 2013 by Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.
The property, designated as Building 3, Block B, Bella Vista Plot 1, Zone N, Federal Government Layout, Banana Island Foreshore Estate, has 24 apartments, 18 flats and six penthouses, according to court papers presented on Tuesday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Apart from the property, the court also ordered the temporary forfeiture of the sums of $2,740,197.96 and N84,537,840.70, said to be part of the rent collected on the property.
The funds were said to have been found in a Zenith Bank account number 1013612486.