Former Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been arrested in London on bribery and money laundering related offences.
Following her arrest, it was gathered that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have already moved in to secure her properties in Lagos and Abuja.
Allison – Madueke was arrested on Friday morning along with four other unnamed persons by the International Corruption Unit of the British National Crimes Agency, NCA.
Premium Times, an online news website, also reported that Alison-Madueke was arrested for offences related to bribery and corruption.
The NCA has confirmed on its website that four persons were arrested in London Friday but did not disclose their identity.
“This morning the National Crime Agency’s recently formed International Corruption Unit arrested four people across London as part of an investigation into suspected bribery and money laundering offences,” the agency stated on its website.
Premium Times also quoted an official of the British Consulate in Nigeria as saying that “five people between the ages of 21 and 60 were arrested on suspicion of bribery and corruption offences.”
He is said to have added that “the crimes are being investigated by the National Crime Agency.”
The NCA is the British anti-corruption agency that investigates “bribery of foreign public officials by individuals or companies from the UK” and “money laundering by corrupt foreign officials and their associates.”
Alison-Madueke left office as Nigerian oil minister in May and is believed to have lived in the United States and Britain since then.
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