The United States Department of Justice announced the ultimate conclusion of two civil cases involving the confiscation of various luxury assets that were the profits of overseas corruption offenses that were laundered in and through the United States.
Diezani Alison-Madueke, former Minister of Petroleum Resources, and businessmen Olajide Omokore and Kolawole Akanni Aluko were named in the lawsuits.
“With the conclusion of the cases, the department has recovered roughly $53.1 million in cash – constituting the net liquidated value of the defendant’s assets – plus a promissory note with a principal value of $16 million,” the U.S. Justice department said in a statement seen by Premium Times.
Diezani Alison-Madueke Is Attempting To Reclaim Seized Assets
According to court filings, Nigerian businessmen Kolawole Akanni Aluko and Olajide Omokore colluded with others from 2011 to 2015 to pay bribes to Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who supervised Nigeria’s state-owned oil corporation.
In exchange, Alison-Madueke used her clout to direct big oil contracts to Messrs Aluko and Omokore’s enterprises.
The proceeds from those illegally awarded contracts totaled more than $100 million, which was then laundered in and through the United States and used to purchase a variety of assets through shell companies, including luxury real estate in California and New York, as well as the Galactica Star, a 65-meter superyacht. The property was also utilized as security for loans made to Mr Aluko and shell businesses under his control. As part of the forfeiture process, those lien holders were paid.
The Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative was used to prosecute Alison-Madueke, Mr Omokore, and Mr Aluko in the United States.
Diezani’s Ally Acquitted Of $1.6 Billion Fraud By A Court
This initiative is led by a dedicated team of prosecutors in the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, in collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies, and frequently with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, to forfeit the proceeds of foreign official corruption and, where appropriate, to use those recovered assets to benefit the people harmed by these acts of corruption and abuse of office.
Remember that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is also investigating and prosecuting Ex-Minister Alison-Madueke, Omokore, and Aluko for alleged corruption in the oil industry.
Alison-Madueke has not been seen in Nigeria since her ministerial stint concluded on May 29, 2015.
She is thought to be living in exile in the United Kingdom. Aluko is also still at large. Omokore is the only member of the trio that has been to Nigeria to testify.
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