The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has ruled out the possibility of having former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Maduke, extradited to Nigeria over alleged cases of corruption against her for now.
Malami’s statement followed the request by Alison-Madueke that she should be brought back to Nigeria to face cases of alleged corruption against her.
His words: “If Nigeria feels strongly that there is need to bring Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke here to face charges of corruption, government will not hesitate to do that
“As things are now, there is no need for that since the UK government is already investigating her and government will not take any decision that will jeopardise what the UK government is doing.”
Alison-Madueke had expressed the intention to be joined in a criminal charge involving a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dele Belgore.
That would mean bringing her to Nigeria as a witness.
Belgore was charged before Justice Mohammed Aikawa of a Federal High Court, Lagos, alongside a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman.
The EFCC is prosecuting the accused for allegedly receiving N450 million from Alison-Madueke, who was described in the charge as being at large.
The commission had accused them of handling the said sum in cash – without going through any financial institution.
However, in his reaction to the request by the former petroleum minister, Malami said there was no need to bring her back home now.
He explained that it was “important to face the charges there than for her to come as a mere witness in a case in Nigeria.”
Malami who spoke to journalists in Abuja shortly after the Federal Executive Council meeting said bringing her back home could negatively affect the prosecution in the United Kingdom.
He pointed out too that the issue at hand was not one of whether or not she would get fair hearing.
“We are talking about investigation first and it is not within Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke’s power to ask the federal government to bring her to testify in any case in Nigeria,” he declared.
