Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, has distanced herself from the $52.8 million recently returned to Nigeria from the United States.
Contrary to reports, the ex-minister, who has been in the United Kingdom (UK) since leaving Nigeria, stated that the money did not belong to her.
Read Also: Why FG Hasn’t Prosecuted Diezani Adequately – SAN
In a statement titled “There is no such thing as Diezani Loot”, Alison-Madueke claimed the money that was reportedly linked to her belongs to a Nigeria’s oil magnate, Kola Aluko.
In a statement published online by Vanguard and released through her counsel, Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), the ex-minister argued there was no such thing as “Diezani loot.”
Alison-Madueke explained how the looted money arrived, saying it came from a vessel confiscated by the American authorities in Aluko.
According to her, the vessel was later sold, with the earnings going to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The ex-minister described accusations linking her to the repatriation money as untrue, saying the source of the information was determined to ruin her image, adding that she had nothing to do with the purchase, usage, or sale of the seized vessel.
The statement read in part: “We note with concern the recent deliberate attempt to link her with what has been described as a civil forfeiture of a yacht Galactica, the sale of which was said to have yielded $52.8m to the US government; which sum has since been repatriated to Nigeria.
“This is a clear example of the mischievous and cruel sport of tarnishing the image of the lady through a bouquet of consistent, persistent and unrelenting cocktail of falsehoods and misinformation.
“The purveyors of this line of misinformation term it “name-and-shame”. To sell the storyline, the architects ensured they attached Diezani’s name to a recovered yacht which is not in any way linked to her.
“They now falsely termed it “Diezani loot”. Nothing of the sort ever happened. She was never involved in the purchase, use and sale of the said yacht.
“The yacht Galactica, from information readily available in the public domain and in open sources, was purchased by Mr Kola Aluko who had used the vessel until he agreed to its forfeiture to the United States of America.”
She, therefore, advised those peddling unfounded, defamatory information and indefensible narratives about her to find better use of their time and leave her alone.
For More Information And News Update, Join Informant Online WhatsApp Channel With Link Below:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2Z
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2Z
