United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency secured the seizure of the sum of £27,000 (N8,155,164.37) in the case involving the former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke at the Westminster Magistrates Court, London.
This is according to Sam Piranty, a journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), who is monitoring the event. The following are from his Twitter handle
Today at Westminster Magistrates Court an application for detention of cash seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act was made v Diezani
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
The application was made by the National Crime Agency #Nigeria
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
This means that she, contrary to emails from the court, may not have had to attend today.
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
Basically the NCA applied for an order that cash seized be detained #Nigeria
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
Apologies for confusion, court saying one thing, clerk saying another, but we know that the application was made today #Nigeria
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
NCA have to apply on a cash seizure case within 48 hours so they must have found it recently #Nigeria
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
Or they found it earlier and this was a further application #Nigeria
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
This also means #Diezani does not have to appear in court but IS entitled too #Nigeria
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
£27,000 was seized in the case vs Alison-Madueke and CASH detained until April 2016 #Nigeria
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
That does not mean she has been chrged with anything #Nigeria
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
Just that cash seized until later date #Nigeria
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
Waiting on confirmation from court as to the amount seized from Beatrice Agama #Nigeria
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
Cash seized under Section 295 of proceeds of crime act until 5th April 2016 #Nigeria
— Sam Piranty (@sampiranty) October 5, 2015
As earlier reported, the former Minister was not in court but her mother, Beatrice Agama and one Melanie Spencer, were in court.
The IMMEDIATE past Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs Alison-Madueke, was reportedly arrested on Friday with four other people by the International Corruption Unit (ICU) of the UK’s National Crimes Agency. She was however granted bail after she had been detained for several hours. According to London Police she will be charged to court for money laundering.
The agency announced on its website on Friday that it had arrested five people “across London” as part of an investigation into suspected bribery and money laundering offences but stopped short of naming the suspects.
The Presidency on Sunday confirmed her arrest, saying it is working closely with British law enforcement over allegations of corruption and money laundering levelled against the former minister.
