Court Freezes Assets Of Diezani’s Associates

A Federal High Court in Lagos has granted the Federal Government injunctions freezing local and foreign assets and funds traced to two Nigerian businessmen, Kola Aluko and Jide Omokore, as well as their companies – Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited (AEDC), Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited (AEBD).

The duo are accused of benefiting from some shady transactions with the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke. They are also said to owe the federal government the sum of $1.8 billion.

In an ex-parte ruling, Justice O. O. Oguntoyinbo granted mareva injunctions restraining the duo from dealing with the funds in some local and foreign banks and assets in Nigeria and abroad, pending the determination of a substantive suit filed by the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Justice Oguntoyinbo, in the ruling, restrained the defendants, themselves, agents, directors, among others, “from giving any instruction demanding, accepting or receiving payment from banks and other companies listed as In Re: 1 – 34 on the face of the motion paper and or giving any sale or transfer instruction, demanding, accepting or receiving any payment or sale or dividend on the shares owned by the defendants, their servants, agents, privies, sister companies, their nominees in the aforesaid companies and or persons listed as In Re: 28 -39 on the face of the motion on notice filed herein.”

The banks and companies listed in the motion include Access Bank, Citi Bank, Diamond Bank, Eco Bank Nigeria, Fidelity Bank, First Bank, First City Monument Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank, Heritage Bank, Keystone Bank, Skye Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Standard Chartered Bank, Sterling Bank, Union Bank, United Bank for Africa, Unity Bank, Wema Bank, Zenith Bank (local banks). The off shore financial institutions are BNP Paribas (Switzerland), LGT Bank (Switzerland), Standard Chartered Bank (London),Barclays Bank (London), Standard Energy (Voduz, Switzerland), HSBC (London), Corner Bank (Lugano, Switzerland) and Deutsche Bank (Geneva).

The companies include Mia Hotels Ltd, First Motors Ltd, V.I. Petrochemical Ltd, Evergreen Realty & Management, Ox Trade Ltd, De First Union Integrated Services, Amity Plus Ltd and Seven Energy International Ltd.