Juliet Uduji
Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former petroleum minister, has been appointed as a commissioner for trade and investment for the Commonwealth of Dominica by the country’s prime minister, Roosevelt Skerrit.
The appointment does not, however, attract a remunerative package, according to the prime minister’s letter
This was after she was given Dominica’s citizenship, The Nation reports, citing a May 29, 2015 approval letter by the prime minister.
Dgovscoops gathers that Diezani was issued a diplomatic passport by the Dominican government on May 21, 2015. Recall that Diezani is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in connection with an alleged N23.29 billion poll bribery scam.
The anti-graft agency also wants the ex-minister to account for N47.2 billion; $487.5million; N23,446,300,000 and $5milion (about N1.5billion) in various Nigerian banks. She is also expected to account for alleged spending of $6.9 million to buy three 40-feet mobile stages for use during mass public speaking events.
However, the alleged acquisition of Dominica’s citizenship and the diplomatic passport has reportedly caused a huge setback for the EFCC’s chances of getting her extradited to Nigeria to face charges.
According to The Nation, Diezani’s case, including the extradition process, is getting complicated after her laying claim to citizenship of the Commonwealth of Dominica. The newspaper reports that a top source, who spoke in confidence, said the former minister is taking full advantage of the system in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Dominica where she is a citizen.
“We cannot successfully repatriate her without the involvement of the two countries. She has really set hurdles against her extradition. While the National Crime Agency (NCA) claimed that it is still investigating our allegations against Diezani, the Commonwealth of Dominica has not shown any interest in the return of her citizen to Nigeria.
“What we have done so far is to present a comprehensive report of our findings to the NCA,” the source was quoted to have said.
Earlier, Legit reported that the acting chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, urged Nigerians in the diaspora to pressure the UK government to release Diezani for trial in Nigeria.
Magu during a virtual town hall meeting with Nigerians in the diaspora, on Saturday, May 24, urged them to collaborate with the EFCC and pressure the authorities into bringing Diezani to face trial.
COVID-19: Anxiety as FG suspends evacuation of Nigerians stranded abroad, reveals what to be done before bringing them home A spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, disclosed that the acting chairman said Diezani had not been brought to trial for the allegations of corruption against her in Nigeria. He asked Nigerians in the diaspora to assist in the fight against corruption, by exposing foreign assets of Nigerian politicians through the government’s whistleblowing policy.
Credit: Legit