A Federal High Court in Abuja has threatened to strike out a charge of money laundering brought against former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison Maudeke.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had in November 2018 filed 13 counts of money laundering against the ex-minister accusing her of unlawfully taking into her possession the sums of $39.7m and N3.32bn with which she allegedly bought choice properties in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt in Rivers State, while she was in office.
Diezani had been in the United Kingdom facing corruption investigations since 2015 when she left office as minister
When the matter came up, the presiding judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu threatened to strike out the money laundering case should the anti-corruption agency fail to produce the defendant in court by March 2020.
“My docket is not going to be a waiting room for the prosecution.”
“I will give you one more adjournment. If nothing happens on the next date, I will strike it out,” the judge added.
The prosecuting counsel, Mr. Faruk Abdullahi said it was necessary to keep the case alive for the extradition process, to be brought to fruition.
