The UK National Crime Agency [NCA] on Saturday said investigation into allegations of corruption against Nigeria’s former minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and the four other people arrested Friday had been on since 2013.
In an update on its website, the NCA said, “The investigation commenced in 2013 under the Proceeds of Corruption Unit, and transferred to the NCA earlier this year.”
Until recently, the Proceeds of Corruption Unit was domiciled at the Metropolitan Police Service.
But after the International Corruption Unit was created at the NCA in line with the UK Anti-Corruption Plan, the Proceeds of Corruption Unit at the Metropolitan Police and the Overseas Anti-Corruption Unit of the City of London Police were scrapped.
The ICU then became the UK’s prime agency for the investigation of bribery of foreign public officials by individuals or companies from the UK, and money laundering by corrupt foreign officials and their associates.
In its update Saturday, the NCA also said it had released the former minister on “conditional bail”.
The other four unnamed persons arrested with her were also granted bail.
“All five people arrested were released on conditional police bail later that evening, pending further investigation both in the UK and overseas.”
The conditions of the bail are not immediately clear.
But people familiar with the matter told PREMIUM TIMES that Mrs. Alison-Madueke and her colleagues were barred from travelling out of the UK pending conclusion of investigation and their arraignment in court.
One source said the suspects’ travelling documents were seized, but PREMIUM TIMES has been unable to independently verify that as at the time of this report.
The source also said the suspects were also warned against any attempt to tamper with evidence.
PREMIUM TIMES had on Friday exclusively reported the arrest of the former minister, alongside four others, by the UK agency over offences related to bribery, corruption and money laundering.
The identities of the four other people arrested along with Mrs. Alison-Madueke, could not be immediately ascertained.
Former minister accused of graft
​Mrs. Alison-Madueke, one of the most influential officials of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, was first appointed into the federal cabinet in 2007.
A former board member of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, she was later appointed Minister of Transport by former President Umaru Yar’adua.
In December 2008, she was redeployed to the mines and steel development ministry.
After former Vice President Goodluck Jonathan became acting president, Mrs. Alison-Madueke was appointed Nigeria’s first female petroleum minister in February 2010, a position Mrs. Alison-Madueke held till May 29, 2015 when Mr. Jonathan left office.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s tenure as petroleum minister turned out one of Nigeria’s most controversial, amid unending allegations of massive corruption.
Under her watch, dubious oil marketers stole trillions of naira of oil subsidy money. She retained her position despite an indictment by the House of Representatives which investigated the fuel subsidy scandal.
Probes by independent audit firms, including the KPMG and PriceWaterhousecoopers, confirmed that billions of dollars of oil money were missing. The most notable case of missing money involved $20billion in 2014, as alleged by a former Central Bank governor, Lamido Sanusi.
Several shady deals exposed by PREMIUM TIMES and confirmed by government and independent auditors were linked to the former minister and her cronies.
Long before her stint in the oil and gas sector, Mrs. Alison-Madueke was investigated by the Nigerian Senate on allegation she paid N30.9 billion to contractors while she held office as transportation minister.
In 2009, the Senate indicted and recommended her prosecution for allegedly transferring N1.2 billion into a private account of a toll company without due process.
Regardless of the indictments, Mrs. Alison-Madueke got elected in November 2014 as the first female president of oil producing countries alliance, OPEC.
The former minister consistently denies wrongdoing. In June, after leaving office, she rejected all allegations of embezzlement saying she never stole from Nigeria.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/190970-we-started-investigating-alison-madueke-since-2013-uk-national-crime-agency.html

I don't care when they started investigating her, all I want is everybody that has milk the nation dry irrespective of their age, gender, political affiliation and geographical location should be investigated, arrested, tried and jailed for all the atrocities they have commited.

Barcanista was right after all.

hmm

Ehhhh ehhhhh

The questions are:

Had GEJ remained the president, will the criminal have been brought to face justice?

Why has she not been made to face prosecution since 2013 that the investigation had started?

The Western powers also understand that with a "stealing is not corruption" Jonathan at the helm of affairs, there was very little that could be done with the treasury looters.

It was the sleaze of GEJ's administration that made it near impossible for perpetrators of evil to be made to account for their actions.

Now with a new Sheriff in town, the western world is ready to assist us in bringing the evil doers to justice.

If it makes the Jonathanians happy that PMB was not directly responsible for Diezani's arrest/trial, let them be. What sincere Nigerians want to see is having her and her cohorts behind bars. QED!

This is great news, Atleast foreigners can help us investigate those theives if we can't do it our selves.

Oga lalasticlala u are highly welcome here sir.

APC & lies

PassingShot:
[s]The questions are:

Had GEJ remained the president, will the criminal have been brought to face justice?

Why has she not been made to face prosecution since 2013 that the investigation has started?

The Western powers also understand that with a corrupt Jonathan at the helm of affairs, there was very little that could be done with that thief.

It was the sleaze of GEJ's administration that made it near impossible for perpetrators of evil to be made to account for their actions.

Now with a new Sheriff in town, the western world is ready to assist us in bringing the evil doers to justice.

If it makes the Jonathanians happy that PMB was not directly responsible for Diezani's arrest/trial, let them be. What sincere Nigerians want to see is having her and her cohorts behind bars. QED![/s]

Paid goon, a new illiterate sheriff is in town, but bokoharam is having a field day.

Now you know barcanista was right, B00HARI has no hand in Diezani's arrest.
How can one fight "kworupsion" When he has corrupt people all around him??

SeverusSnape:
Barcanista was right after all.

Stop forcing everything your inexperienced analyst gave you down your throat. It even makes you appear worse than him. They started investigating her since 2013 yes! But you and your Boss need to get it to your head that She will never have been brought to book without PMB sanctioning it, don't you guys know how things work? UK Govt must have gotten enough evidence to have nailed her since that 2013 or 2014 but they did not cos GEJ will never sanction it. Do you think the likes of Alamesiegha and Ibori would have gone to Jail if the President was not in support. Do you think PMB has been traveling around the West only to sought for help on terrorism alone? Nabbing and prosecuting all these corrupt Nigerians have been the topmost of his Agenda. So get it to your brain that the ex minister was arrested on the sanction of PMB, she was not arrested by our own EFCC only because we need the expertise, toughness, sincerity and experience of UK crime agency in bringing her to justice, since most of the money stolen by them were dumped in western Banks.. we are more interested in them being brought to justice than us giving credit to anybody for their arrest.

[quote author=PassingShot post=38649716][/quote]


Have this, as the bokoharam sympathizer that you are.

PMB's body language catalysed her ordeals.

Flye:
I don't care when they started investigating her, all I want is everybody that has milk the nation dry irrespective of their age, gender, political affiliation and geographical location should be investigated, arrested, tried and jailed for all the atrocities they have commited.

You have spoken well

Thank God oyinbos are already helping us to fight corruption. We must unite and kick this menace out of our land and all corrupt officials must face the music.

Stealing is now corruption [S I N C].

Godfullsam:
Thank God oyinbos are already helping us to fight corruption. We must unite and kick this menace out of our land and all corrupt officials must face the music.

Stealing is now corruption [S I N C].

How do u expect that when some poeple are in support of every bad things that is going on here provided it was perpetuated by their beloved hero, son or daughter.

Acidosis:
APC & lies

Wailers and tears

This is a pointer to the fact that the former administration was incapable of arrest & conviction of corrupt govt officials. D UK actually spoon fed our judicial system on d rudiments of law which deh are familiar with.

Seems Maduekwe is on a "home and away" conviction process..

This is great.

I think this deserve to be in front page

Cc: OAM4J, Afam4eva

olasmith10:
This is a pointer to the fact that the former administration was incapable of arrest & conviction of corrupt govt officials. D UK actually spoon fed our judicial system on d rudiments of law which deh are familiar with.

Seems Maduekwe is on a "home and away" conviction process..

It seems they are powerful at home, it is safe for our political atmosphere if they are arrested and tried there.

Is this not the same UK that harboured Umaru Dikko for most of his exile.

Do I start compiling list of people who wrecked the economy of their country and went on exile in the UK