Following the weekend arrest and subsequent bail of Nigeria’s former Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Deizani Alison-Madueke, Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has secured the approval of a Westminster Magistrate’s Court in London to confiscate £27,000 seized from the minister.
The minister was arrested in London on last friday for allegations of bribery and money laundering.
The crime agency filed the application to confiscate the money retrieved from Allison-Madueke on Monday and the application was approved under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), which guides the legislative scheme for the recovery of criminal assets with criminal confiscation being the most commonly used power. The money would be held in the custody of the court until 5th April 2016.
The former minister did not appear today in court, but her mother, Beatrice Agama, and another woman, Melanie Spencer, appeared in today’s sitting.
An administrative officer at the court said no formal charges have been filed against the former minister and four others whose identities are yet to be revealed.
The officer added that the NCA had applied to the court for an order to seize various sums of money in relation to Alison-Madueke, Agama and Spencer for up to six months.
Before becoming Nigeria’s oil Minister, Allison-Madueke had worked as a senior staff at Shell in Nigeria. She had also served as Minister in the Transport and Solid Minerals Ministries.
Family involvement
It has also been revealed that the Alison-Madueke’s sons, brothers, and nephews run different businesses with a common address: Unit 8, Quebec Buildings, Manchester M3 7DU in the United Kingdom.
It was revealed that the main business attached to the address is listed as Hadley Petroleum Solutions Ltd. But other corporate entities registered at the same location include Ryan and Bell Solutions Ltd., Callserv Ltd., Parrot Mobile Ltd., Mail Express Ltd., and Stone International Ltd — all belonging to close relatives of the former petroleum minister.
Reports reveal that one Doye Agama, an elder brother to the former minister and a Pentecostal Church Archbishop based in Manchester, UK takes an active part in the operations of the businesses.
Doye Agama who had worked as a telecommunications consultant to the oil industry, central and local government and the emergency services before becoming a pastor, owns a property located at 27 Tavistock Square, Holburn, London, WC1H 9HH registered to his name, sources revealed.
It was also reveals that the embattled former minister holds the title to various properties in UK and US, under several aliases, often names of her family. One property, located in London at 22 Parkwood, St. Edmunds Terrace, St John’s Wood, London, NW8 7QQ is registered in the name of her mother, Beatrice Agama. Her younger brother, Timi John Agama, has a property registered under his name at 67, Wades Hill, Winchmore Hill, London, N21 1AU, sources revealed.
In the United States, the former Petroleum Minister owns three properties that are registered under her maiden name, Diezani K. Agama. They include a posh apartment located at 1220 West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland, with the zip code of 20910. Her son, Ugonna Madueke, has at least three properties registered in his name, two in Virginia and one in Maryland. The former minister’s son’s properties in Virginia are located at 11711 Scooter Lane, Fairfax, VA 22030, and 4227 Summit Manor Ct, Fairfax, VA 22033. His property in Maryland is at 13116 Silver Maple Ct, Bowie, MD 20715.
