A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday adjourned a suit filed by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, seeking to recover assets forfeited to the Federal Government.
The case, which came up for mention before Justice Inyang Ekwo, could not proceed after her counsel, Eko-Ejembi Eko, SAN, requested more time to familiarise himself with the matter.
Eko told the court that he had only recently taken over the case and needed adequate time to study the court documents before proceeding.
Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Paul Mgbeoma, did not oppose the request.
Following the agreement of both parties, Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter until January 26 for further mention.
In the suit, Diezani is asking the court to compel the EFCC to recover her seized assets from individuals and corporate organisations that purchased them after the commission put them up for sale.
She is also seeking an order nullifying the EFCC’s public notice through which the commission announced the auction of her properties between January 9 and 13, 2023.
The former minister instituted the case against the anti-graft agency in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/21/2023, dated and filed on January 6, 2023.
Among other reliefs, she asked the court to extend the time within which she could seek permission to challenge the EFCC’s decision to auction her properties.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Ekwo had, on July 1, granted Diezani’s application to tender evidence relating to her acquittal by the Southwark Crown Court in London.
However, the EFCC opposed the move, arguing in a further counter-affidavit that the alleged acquittal by a foreign court was irrelevant to the issues requiring determination in the Nigerian suit.
The commission consequently urged the court to dismiss her application to present the London court proceedings as evidence.
