Traducers spun ‘cocktail of lies’ around Diezani’s corruption cases in last 10 years — Ozekhome

• cautions against prejudgment
• demands fair hearing
• says it is “preposterous” to implicate ex-minister

Renowned lawyer Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has dismissed corruption allegations against former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke, describing them as baseless, unfounded and a “cocktail of lies.”

Ozekhome, a solicitor to the former Minister of Petroleum, decried the persistent vilification of Alison-Madueke, stressing that no court in Nigeria or abroad has convicted her of any offense.

Ozekhome’s remarks followed recent reports linking Alison-Madueke to the civil forfeiture of the luxury yacht Galactica.

The lawyer clarified that the vessel belonged to a businessman, Kola Aluko, who voluntarily surrendered it to U.S. authorities, and not to Alison-Madueke.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) referenced a 2016 ruling by the Federal High Court in Nigeria, which validated contracts awarded to Atlantic Energy by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The court, presided over by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba, acquitted Atlantic Energy’s directors of charges related to money laundering and false representation.

According to Ozekhome, it is “preposterous” to implicate Alison-Madueke in these contracts, as she played no role in their procurement or negotiation, adding the need for her to be given a fair hearing.

He also criticised other sensational allegations against his client, such as claims of owning a diamond-studded bikini valued at $12 million—a story the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has since debunked.

The lawyer expressed concern over the public’s willingness to accept unverified narratives, likening it to a “public lynching mindset.”

Ozekhome revealed that Alison-Madueke has undergone nearly a decade of investigations in the UK, commencing shortly after her chemotherapy for breast cancer.

According to him, despite exhaustive scrutiny, no misappropriated funds have been traced to her.

He also cited a statement by former EFCC chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, which affirmed her innocence regarding stolen funds.

Ozekhome described Alison-Madueke as a trailblazer, being Nigeria’s first female Petroleum Minister and the first female president of OPEC.

READ ALSO: U.S. returns $52.88m stolen funds linked to Diezani Alison-Madueke

He credited her tenure with professional excellence, including saving $4 billion in Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) funds for the incoming administration in 2015.

As Alison-Madueke faces legal proceedings in the UK, Ozekhome called on Nigerians and the media to refrain from prejudging her case.

He stressed the importance of allowing the legal process to unfold without sensationalism or defamation.

“Our plea is simple: let the law take its natural course without interference. Leave Diezani Alison-Madueke alone,” he said.

The statement read in part: “As her solicitors, we are fully versed in and conversant with her present ordeal and the entire facts surrounding her matters both here in Nigeria and abroad.

“So, we write from the vantage position of one that is aware of the cocktail of lies that have been spun around her cases in the last 10 years.

“Many of the narratives are outrightly false; some others sheer outlandish speculations; and most, simply bizarre stories cooked up by her traducers to extract a Shylock’s pound of flesh from her for reasons she does not know and cannot even fathom.

“This intervention, therefore, seeks to correct this skewed narrative and set the records straight for purposes of history. Many Nigerians often talk about wanting ‘technocrats’ to be involved in governance. They desire that people with character and integrity should join politics. We agree with them.

“However, and regrettably too, now and again and many a time, the same people not only allow but actually join the bandwagon to mob-lynch those who chose to serve the nation. And we often do this insidiously, covertly, and overtly, even when there is no concrete or even any iota of proof that such public officers ever abused their offices or stole from public coffers.

“It is therefore surprising and of great concern to us to see the level of sustained vilification of an innocent Nigerian citizen who has not yet been tried and found guilty of any offense known to law by any court of law, whether in Nigeria or abroad. The person at the receiving end is Citizen Diezani Alison-Madueke (‘DAM’).

READ ALSO: SAN blames legal hurdles for FG’s inability to prosecute Diezani adequately

“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 $52.8 million to the U.S. 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, or 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.

“The yacht Galactica was neither owned nor ever used by our client. DAM has, in fact, never set her eyes on the yacht. Kola Aluko is an experienced businessman who had been in business well before DAM came into office as HMPR. The only tenuous basis for deliberately linking DAM to the said yacht is the false narrative that the Strategic Alliance Agreements (SAAs), which were entered into between Kola Aluko & Jide Omokore’s Atlantic Energy companies and NNPC, were allegedly corruptly awarded to the said companies by DAM.

“DAM was not the GMD of the NNPC and so did not and could not have awarded the said contracts.

“We plead, as her lawyers, with all and sundry, that she be accorded fair hearing and that the process of these UK court proceedings be allowed to take their natural course to avoid prejudice to her in the ongoing subjudice proceedings.

“Those purveyors and peddlers who habitually spin these outrightly false, unfounded, defamatory, unintelligent, and indefensible narratives to denigrate and humiliate her should please find better use of their time and leave DAM alone.

“Let the law take its natural course without interference. We humbly pray.”