Rear-admiral Alison Madueke (rtd) Flies In Legal Team To Defend His Wife Diezani

Following the arrest of the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, on allegations of bribery, corruption and money laundering, her interrogation continued yesterday at the Charing Cross Police Station, just as her husband, a former Chief of Naval Staff, Rear-Admiral Alison Madueke (rtd), has put together a legal team to defend his wife against the charges by the United Kingdom authorities.

The former minister was arrested last Friday in London by the British National Crime Agency (NCA) alongside four other people, but was granted bail after over five hours of questioning.

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Even though the identities of the four other people arrested along with Mrs. Alison-Madueke were not disclosed, sources informed THISDAY that they were domestic staff and aides of the former minister.

NCA said investigations on the former minister were commenced in 2013 by the British authorities under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) and transferred to it earlier this year.

Since her arrest, her husband, THISDAY learnt, was said to have swung into action by putting together a crack legal team to defend his wife in the UK.

One of the lawyers, Mr. Chike C. Amobi, a US-trained attorney, was said to have departed Lagos on Saturday night for London to join a Queen’s Counsel, who accompanied the minister to the Charing Cross Police Station to respond to questions from NCA on the allegations of bribery, corruption and money laundering against her. Amobi is expected back in Lagos today.

THISDAY further gathered that during its search of her residence in London, agents of the NCA, in addition to dispossessing the former minister of all her mobile phones, also confiscated less than £30,000 in her possession. NCA, in addition, seized her passport to prevent her from leaving the UK.

After her arrest and bail, speculation was rife that she was supposed to appear at the Westminster Magistrate’s Court on Marylebone Road in London for arraignment.

However, the former minister did not show up at the court, which was besieged by Nigerian journalists who had gone to cover the case.

Instead, her mother, Mrs. Beatrice Agama, and another woman, Ms. Melanie Spencer, appeared at the court for yesterday’s sitting while the case on allegations of money laundering was adjourned for hearing by the court to April 5, 2016.

The court also granted an application for seizure of the money seized from Mrs. Alison-Madueke.

According to the BBC, the NCA monday secured the seizure of the sum of £27,000 in the case involving the former petroleum minister at the magistrate’s court in London.