Goodluck Jonathan
hehehehe....Several
top guns in the last political administration have been named in one
scandal or the other and have subsequently gone into hiding. A former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, who evaded arrest in
Nigeria was recently released from a London prison where he served term
for money laundering. Mr. Ibori had escaped to Dubai to avoid being
arrested in Nigeria. He was, however extradited to the UK from the UAE,
at the request of British authorities.
Like Mr. Ibori, there are other former Nigerian political office
holders who have fled the country to avoid arrests and potential
prosecutions for corruption.
PREMIUM TIMES reviews some of these persons, most ex-public officials, who served in the Goodluck Jonathan administration.
These include ex-ministers, aides and associates of Mr. Jonathan
They left the country under different pretences, ranging from the need for medical care to pursuit of higher education abroad.
1. DIEZANI ALISON-MADUEKE
Diezani Alison-Madueke held the position of petroleum minister
under Mr. Jonathan. She was one of the most powerful public officials in
the administration.
A former director at Shell, Mrs. Alison-Madueke was first appointed
into the federal cabinet in 2007 as Minister of Transport by late
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 she 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, amidst unending allegations of corruption.
Corruption allegations: Under her watch, probes by independent
audit firms, including the KPMG, confirmed billions of Naira of oil
money was mismanaged. The then Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria,
Lamido Sanusi, alleged in 2014 that the missing money was about $20
billion.
Also, long before her time superintending the oil and gas sector,
Mrs. Alison-Madueke was investigated by the Nigerian Senate on
allegation she irregularly paid N30.9 billion to contractors as
transport minister. In 2009, the Senate also indicted Mrs.
Alison-Madueke and recommended her for prosecution for allegedly
transferring N1.2 billion into a private account of a toll company
without due process. The former minister consistently denied any
wrongdoing.
She is also enmeshed in various scandals surrounding the sale or lease of Nigeria’s oil blocks.
In October last year, she was arrested in London along with others
by the UK National Crime Agency. A few hours after her arrest, Nigeria’s
EFCC operatives raided her Abuja home, located in the Asokoro district
of the federal capital city, and sealed the property, after they
reportedly recovered expensive jewelleries and other items from the
building.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke is believed to be in the United Kingdom where in 2015 she received treatment for cancer.
Accomplices: Two separate intelligence reports identified one
Donald Chidi Amamgbo as a key figure in Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s alleged
money laundering activities. Another of her close business ally, Jide
Omokore, is already being tried for corruption by the EFCC.
Other businessmen like Kola Aluko, Kolawale Akane and Walter
Wagbatsoma were also named as close collaborators in the former
minister’s suspected web of illicit financial activities. The former
minister’s mother, Beatrice Agama; her son, Ugonna Madueke; and a Swiss,
Melanie Spencer, were also among people she was arrested with in the
UK.
2. MOHAMMED BELLO ADOKE
Mohammed Adoke is Nigeria’s immediate past Attorney-General of the
Federation and Minister of Justice. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he was
appointed into the office on April 6, 2010, when the then Acting
President Goodluck Jonathan announced a new cabinet.
As the chief law officer of the country, he wielded enormous
powers,especially because he had supervisory control over prominent law
enforcement agencies such as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other
Related Offences Commission, ICPC, National Drug Law Enforcement
Agency, NDLEA and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Mr. Adoke was one of the first set of top officials in the Jonathan
administration to flee the country a few days after President Muhammadu
Buhari took over on May 29, 2015.
Supposed hideout: Mr. Adoke has stated that he left Nigeria for the
Netherlands to pursue a law programme at the prestigious Leiden
University.
Corruption Charges: Mr. Adoke has been fingered in at least three
major multi-billion dollar deals. They include the $1.1 billion Malabu
oil payment deal; $2.1 billion arms fund diversion and recently, the
alleged diversion of $1.6 billion local government judgment fund.
The EFCC filed charges of money laundering and fraud against Mr.
Adoke and others on December 20 at the Federal High Court, Abuja, in
respect of the Malabu oil deal at the centre of which is Dan Etete, a
former minister of petroleum under the late Sani Abacha. Mr. Adoke,
however, responded to the charges by pledging to make himself available
for trial.
Alleged accomplices: Former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and former petroleum minister, Dan Etete.
3. KINGSLEY KUKU
Kingsley Kuku was Special Adviser to former President Goodluck
Jonathan on Niger Delta Affairs. He was also the Chairman of the
Presidential Amnesty Programme. He was one of those who left the country
soon after President Buhari took over.
Mr. Kuku is suspected to be in the U.S. He has, however, insisted that he only travelled to on medical grounds.
The EFCC in July 2015 summoned Mr. Kuku for questioning over
alleged embezzlement and fraudulent diversion of funds running into
hundreds of millions of Naira in the Amnesty Office. Mr. Kuku was asked
to appear before the EFCC on July 28, 2015 but requested to be allowed
to honour the invitation on September 30, 2015. A letter by Mr. Kuku’s
lawyers to the EFCC said the former presidential aide was undergoing
surgery on one of his knees. He has, however, continued to seek
protection from the courts and has since been at large.
In his defence, Mr. Kuku alleged that investigation by the
anti-graft agency into the amnesty funds was a calculated attempt to
smear his name. Speaking through his media aide, Yemi Akintomide, in
Akure, Mr. Kuku said the EFCC was too much in a hurry to nail him on
corruption charges through media trial, even when he had not appeared
before the agency’s investigators.
Alleged accomplices: Henry Ugbolue and Lawrence Pepple, both former aides to Mr. Kuku.
4. GOVERNMENT EKPEMUPOLO (Tompolo)
Government Ekpemupolo is a former militant commander of the
Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND. For years,
Tompolo joined forces with various guerrilla groups in the Niger Delta
agitating against the alleged exploitation and degradation of the
oil-rich region by the Federal Government and international oil
companies.
He, however, embraced the amnesty programme on October 4, 2009, to
allow for peace, and for the government and the oil companies to carry
out development projects in the region. Though not a public office
holder under the Jonathan administration, he wielded enormous powers
and influence as one of the power brokers in that administration.
Corruption Charges: According to the EFCC which has since declared
him wanted, the 47-year-old Tompolo is wanted in a case of conspiracy
and illegal diversion of the sum of N34, 000,000,000 (Thirty Four
Billion Naira) belonging to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and
Safety Agency, NIMASA.
The former DG of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi, who was said to have
been nominated for the office by Tompolo, is already being prosecuted
for his alleged role in the scam.
Tompolo has denied involvement in the N34 billion fraud. The denial
was contained in one of his many recent open letters to President
Buhari from his hideout.
“The truth of the matter is that I do not know anything about
the 34 billion naira EFCC is talking about. First, it was 13-billion
naira (N13bn) issue, now it is 34 billion naira (N34bn). I am not a
signatory to any of the companies mentioned in the said N34bn case, so I
do not know where this one is coming from”, he said in one of the letters.
Alleged Accomplices: Mr. Akpobolokemi and his six brothers.
They are Igo Akpobolokemi, Julius Akpobolokemi, Victor
Akpobolokemi, Norbert Akpobolokemi, Emmanuel Akpobolokemi and Clement
Akpobolokemi. Companies listed in the charge by the EFCC are Mieka Dive
Training Institute Ltd/GTE, Oyeinteke Global Network Ltd, Wabod Global
Resources Ltd, Boloboere Properties Estate Ltd, Gokaid Marine Oil and
Gas Ltd and Watershed Associated Resources.
They were however declared as being “now at large” when the charges were read.
5. ABDULRASHEED ABDULLAHI MAINA
Abdulrasheed Maina, a former Chairman of Pension Reform Task Team,
was a close ally of Mr. Jonathan. He is wanted by the EFCC for offences
bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence.
The EFCC on November 18, 2015 wrote the Inspector-General of Police
for assistance to get the INTERPOL to issue a world-wide alert on Mr.
Maina. In response, the Commissioner of Police in charge of INTERPOL,
Olusola Subair, stated that the INTERPOL had placed a red alert on the
fugitive at its general secretariat in Lyon, France. Meanwhile, the EFCC
is of the view that Mr. Maina might be hiding at the United Arab
Emirates.
According to information on the EFCC website, Mr. Maina is
allegedly complicit in the over N2 billion Pensions Biometric scam in
the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. He remains at
large, after charges were filed against his alleged accomplices,
including a former Head of Service of the Federation, Steve Orosanye.
Speaking from hiding through his lawyer, Olajide Olaoye, Mr. Maina
disputed the fact that he is wanted by the EFCC for any crime. However,
as at press time, his picture and details are still on EFCC website as
one of its wanted suspects.
Alleged Accomplices: Steve Orosanye, former Head of Civil Service;
Osarenkhoe Afe; Federick Hamilton Global Services Limited, Cluster
Logistic Limited; Kangolo Dynamic Cleaning Limited; and Drew
Investment& Construction Company Limited.
6. BELLO FADILE
Bello Fadile is a retired colonel of the Nigerian Army. He was a
close confidant of former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and a
Director of Special Duties in the office of the National Security
Adviser, ONSA under Mr. Dasuki.
Mr. Fadile is being investigated for his alleged role in the $2.1
billion arms scandal for which various persons close to Mr. Jonathan and
the PDP have either been arrested or are being prosecuted.
Messrs. Dasuki and Fadile were placed under house arrest by the
State Security Service, DSS, in July 2015 after which Mr. Dasuki was
arrested and still remains in the custody of the SSS despite several
court orders.
Mr. Fadile’s whereabouts is unknown but he is said to be currently in the U.S.
Alleged accomplice: Former NSA boss, Sambo Dasuki.
LAWYERS REACT
Two legal practitioners spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on how the suspects can be treated by the Nigerian government.
“There is nothing wrong with our legal system which comprises
various institutions and laws to effectively fight corruption,
especially economic crimes.,” a lawyer, Akunne Nzube, said.
“But these laws are not effectively interpreted and implemented
by the requisite institutions, including the judiciary. This deficiency
is apparent in the James Ibori’s trial here in Nigeria, which ended in
an acquittal and his subsequent conviction in the UK.
“The renewed enthusiasm of this present administration to
restore these institutions to combat graft effectively is being hampered
by the difficulties in getting the suspects extradited to face trial.”
The activist said although he sees “nothing wrong with our anti-graft laws and institutions, save for issue of inefficiency.
“But in the circumstance, I’m constrained to make the following
suggestions to aid this present administration in the fight against
corruption: The Legal authorities should consider alternatives like
using immigration laws in foreign countries to have fugitives deported
as illegal immigrant.
“They can also try whether civil legal action could be taken to
sue former officials hiding overseas. Nigeria must either reform the
existing institutions (including the agencies and the courts) fighting
corruption for efficient and effective results or establish an emergency
expeditious corruption trial bill and laws and special anti-graft
courts.”
Another lawyer, Frank Obi, expressed a contrary view saying the suspects remained innocent until declared guilty by a court.
“An accused person should be presumed innocent until otherwise declared by a court of competent jurisdiction.
“The duty of the prosecutor is to prosecute and not to
persecute. I suggest the judiciary be allowed to perform its role
quietly without undue interference,” he said.
Culled from PREMIUM TIMES
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