ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday granted former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, permission to present evidence of a United Kingdom court judgment that acquitted her of bribery allegations in her ongoing legal battle to reclaim forfeited assets.
Justice Inyang Ekwo approved the application after counsel to the former minister, Godwin Iyinbor, moved the motion on notice. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), represented by Mofesomo Oyetibo (SAN), did not oppose the request.
The ruling comes after the Southwark Crown Court in London discharged and acquitted Diezani on June 17 over criminal bribery allegations brought against her.
Diezani is seeking to recover assets previously forfeited to the Federal Government through a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/21/2023, in which the EFCC is the sole respondent.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, both Iyinbor and Oyetibo regularised the court processes they had filed before the matter was heard.
Iyinbor subsequently sought leave to move a motion on notice filed on June 25, asking the court to permit the filing of a further supplementary affidavit to bring the UK court’s acquittal to its attention as a fresh and material development.
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He also requested an order deeming the supplementary affidavit as properly filed.
Although Oyetibo confirmed receipt of the application, he argued that the motion was intended to waste the court’s judicial time.
However, he acknowledged that the application was simply aimed at informing the court of Diezani’s acquittal in the United Kingdom.
“They just want to bring to your lordship’s attention that the applicant has been exonerated in UK,” Oyetibo said.
Justice Ekwo then asked whether the EFCC intended to oppose the application. Oyetibo replied that the commission had no objection.
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The judge consequently granted the application as prayed and adjourned the case until October 6 for hearing.
Justice Ekwo further directed that both the EFCC’s preliminary objection and the substantive suit would be heard together on the next adjourned date.
According to court documents filed by Diezani’s lead counsel, Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), the former minister instituted the suit to challenge, among other issues, the EFCC’s public notice announcing the auction and disposal of properties and personal effects allegedly belonging to her.
Ozekhome argued that one of the central issues before the court is that the anti-graft agency sought to deprive his client of her proprietary rights without first securing a criminal conviction, affording her fair hearing or complying strictly with statutory procedures governing forfeiture and disposal of assets.
He noted that Diezani filed her amended originating motion on February 19, 2025, following leave granted by the court on February 17, 2025.
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The senior lawyer further informed the court that while the suit was pending, a significant development occurred when the Southwark Crown Court in London acquitted Diezani on June 17, 2026, of criminal bribery allegations.
According to him, the judgment is directly relevant to issues already before the Nigerian court, particularly those concerning absence of conviction, fair hearing, due process, protection of proprietary rights and strict compliance with statutory safeguards before forfeiture or disposal of assets.
“The said subsequent development is material and relevant to the applicant’s case, particularly as it relates to the issues of absence of conviction, fair hearing, due process, propriety of irreversible proprietary deprivation, and the need for strict compliance with statutory safeguards before disposal of properties affecting the applicant’s proprietary rights,” Ozekhome argued.
He clarified that the application was not asking the Nigerian court to treat the UK judgment as automatically binding or to sit on appeal over the foreign court’s decision.
Rather, he said, the objective was to place a material fact before the court that was unavailable when the earlier processes were filed and which would assist the court in reaching a just determination.
Ozekhome maintained that the court possesses the discretion to admit such fresh evidence where it would aid the interest of justice and urged Justice Ekwo to grant the application.
The court subsequently granted the request and fixed October 6 for the hearing of both the preliminary objection and the substantive suit.