Foreign
THE Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has said the acquittal of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, by a United Kingdom court should not be interpreted as an end to corruption investigations, prosecutions and asset-recovery proceedings relating to her in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, the civil society organisation said the June 17 verdict of the Southwark Crown Court Jury must be respected as a judicial decision concerning the specific bribery charges brought before the UK court, but does not automatically determine the outcome of separate proceedings and allegations being pursued under Nigerian law.
HEDA said Federal Government of Nigeria must continue to pursue all legitimate aspects of the cases based on credible evidence, due process and the rule of law.
HEDA said its position was informed by its longstanding monitoring of the Diezani case, which it has documented in its Compendium of 100 High-Profile Corruption Cases.
The organisation’s 2020 edition highlighted the difficulties surrounding efforts to bring Alison-Madueke before a Nigerian court, including an order directing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to produce her for trial.
Its subsequent publications also tracked forfeiture proceedings involving properties and other assets linked to the former minister, including her challenges to the EFCC’s efforts to dispose of forfeited assets.
“The UK judgment should be respected for what it is: a decision on the specific criminal charges for crimes committed under the UK laws that were before the court.
“It should neither be misrepresented as proof of guilt nor as a blanket determination of every allegation, investigation or asset-recovery proceeding connected to the former minister,” Suraju said.
The organisation noted that criminal prosecution and asset recovery are related but distinct processes, stressing that the failure of a criminal prosecution does not necessarily determine the status of assets where separate legal proceedings apply.
HEDA urged the EFCC and other relevant Nigerian institutions to independently assess the evidence available to them and proceed with viable cases, while ensuring that any further prosecution complies with constitutional safeguards, including the right to a fair hearing and protection against double jeopardy.
HEDA also stressed that Nigeria’s responsibility to investigate corruption and recover public assets cannot be outsourced to foreign jurisdictions.
“Nigeria must not wait for foreign courts to determine whether Nigerians accused of corruption should face justice. Our institutions must sustain and improve the investigative capacity, evidence-gathering systems and international cooperation mechanisms required to pursue complex corruption cases, wherever the proceeds may have been moved,” the organisation said.
The organisation said the Diezani case has a significant international asset-recovery dimension, with previous proceedings involving properties and other assets linked to the former minister in jurisdictions including the United States and the United Kingdom.
It urged Nigerian authorities to provide greater clarity on the status of the various corruption cases and asset-recovery proceedings involving Alison-Madueke, warning that prolonged investigations and court processes without adequate public communication could weaken confidence in anti-corruption institutions.
The group also called for greater transparency in the management of assets recovered or forfeited in corruption cases, saying Nigerians should know what has been recovered, where such assets are located, how they are being managed and how recovered public resources are ultimately deployed.
It urged the media and civil society organisations to sustain scrutiny of the Nigerian authorities’ handling of the case, including criminal proceedings, asset recovery and the management of recovered assets.
“The ultimate test is not whether justice can be obtained in London or any other foreign jurisdiction. The test is whether Nigeria has institutions capable of investigating credible allegations, prosecuting cases based on evidence, recovering the proceeds of corruption and ensuring that those resources are returned transparently to the Nigerian people,” Suraju said.
M.P
Tags: Deziani Alison-Madueke HEDA UK Corruption case