The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu on Wednesday 24th July, 2019 while receiving Interpol team at the Abuja headoffice of EFCC, decried the slow pace of action from the government of United Kingdom, (UK) on the corruption case, involving former Petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Diezani, who is in UK is being prosecuted by the UK government on issues of corruption, but Magu regrets that the matter has dragged on in the UK for more than four years with no visible result and no end in sight. He said:
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“There is the case of Diezani which has been going on for over four years and the amount involved is about $2.4 billion and no kobo has been recovered from overseas. Though we have recovered some of the proceeds of the crime, we are still tracing others”, he said.
Magu, however, noted that the Commission’s relationship with Interpol team has made it easier to place suspects on red notice, adding that “though we have not been able to arrest some of these fleeing people, it is good that they know they are on red notice, as there are Nigerians like Diezani whom we have applied for.”
He disclosed that getting Diezani, Dan Etete, (former petroleum minister), Mohammed Adoke (former attorney general and minister of justice), all of whom are overseas and facing fraud cases in Nigeria, back to the country has been a problem. He therefore, urged their new countries of residence to either prosecute them or hand them over to Nigeria “since they are Nigerians.”
The EFCC boss assured the Interpol team of the Commission’s continued support towards the strengthening of collaboration, particularly in information sharing.
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