After about three years of the United Kingdom (UK) investigating money-laundering allegations against former Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, the authorities in Nigeria are probably justified to worry about whether or not their efforts to extradite her would be fruitful. Mrs Alison-Madueke is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations bordering on money laundering involving about $115 million.
Although the UK government has not stated if and how it would assist Nigeria to make the extradition effective, local authorities believe that on-going investigation by the British authorities could be an impediment to Nigeria’s reported request, as the UK would most probably would prefer to conclude its investigation before permitting any movement of the former Minister. Already, her movement within the UK has reportedly been restricted pending the investigation.
It is important however for the two countries to reach a mutual consensus over her, first in furtherance of traditional, long-standing and cordial relationship between them; and secondly in line with international resolve against corruption, coupled with the need for global cooperation to discourage the cankerworm.
Against the fact that Mrs Alison-Madueke is constitutionally innocent of any suspicion of criminality or illicit financial transaction against her – until the contrary is proved by a competent court – there should be clear understanding on the part of the two governments that whatever extradition is allowed to Nigeria should be for the purpose of a thorough investigation of the charges against her.
Equally important is the need for Nigeria, as the country making the extradition request, to comply with all the rules and regulations guiding her application, as the UK is unlikely to be impressed with official and unofficial pronouncements tending to play into the gallery, rather than address in concrete terms the corruption allegations involved.
In this context, it is noteworthy that the EFCC has already filed various charges at the Nigerian courts against the former minister; and the court has made various interim orders, including a pronouncement that Mrs Alison-Madueke be produced in court within 72 hours of her arrival in the country. However, the pendency of relevant charges in court is only one of the requirements of extradition; the Nigerian authorities should endeavour to meet other requirements.
For a government avowedly committed to fighting corruption, the federal government should avoid making frivolous applications or simply festering an impression that is not matched with genuine intention. If possible, the EFCC should make public its reported efforts aimed at extraditing Mrs Alison-Madueke. The campaign against corruption, even at the level of investigation, should be transparent and holistic.
The necessity for cooperation between the two countries should be predicated on the fact that the subject of their different investigations, money laundering, is the same or similar; and the money in question originates from the same country – Nigeria. The need also for diplomatic interaction should not be ruled out, having regard to the close ties between the countries.
There is no reason, for instance, why Nigeria should not demand a specific reason for UK’s response or lack of it, in respect of the extradition request, if indeed it was made. And there is no reason why the UK should also not state specifically why the request has been stalled. If the reason is simply that the UK has not concluded its investigation, Nigeria will of course be concerned, given that Mrs Alison-Madueke has been in the UK since 2015.
The entire exercise should revolve around the desire to stamp out corruption in Nigeria; as well as the need for international and diplomatic cooperation between Nigeria and the UK to achieve that objective. Ultimately, Nigeria should ensure that it observes all due process in seeking the UK’s assistance. She should demonstrate her total commitment to remove the country’s name from the black list of corrupt countries.
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