The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) has said the acquittal of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, by a United Kingdom court does not bring an end to corruption investigations and asset-recovery proceedings involving her in Nigeria.
HEDA, in a statement issued on Sunday by its Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, said the June 17 verdict of the Southwark Crown Court jury should be respected but restricted to the specific bribery charges prosecuted before the UK court.
The organisation stressed that the verdict did not determine the outcome of separate allegations, investigations or legal proceedings under Nigerian law.
HEDA urged the Federal Government to continue pursuing viable cases against Alison-Madueke where credible evidence exists, while ensuring that all proceedings are conducted in accordance with due process and the rule of law.
“The UK judgment should be respected for what it is: a decision on the specific criminal charges for crimes committed under the UK laws that were before the court,” Suraju said.
“It should neither be misrepresented as proof of guilt nor as a blanket determination of every allegation, investigation or asset-recovery proceeding connected to the former minister.”
According to HEDA, it has monitored the Alison-Madueke case for several years and documented developments involving the former minister in its Compendium of 100 High-Profile Corruption Cases.
The group recalled that its 2020 edition highlighted efforts to bring Alison-Madueke before a Nigerian court, including an order directing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to produce her for trial.
HEDA also said it had followed forfeiture proceedings involving properties and other assets allegedly linked to the former minister, including legal challenges to the EFCC’s attempts to dispose of forfeited assets.
The organisation emphasised that criminal prosecution and asset recovery are separate legal processes. It therefore argued that the failure of a criminal prosecution does not automatically determine the status of assets involved in separate forfeiture proceedings.
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HEDA called on the EFCC and other relevant agencies to independently assess available evidence and pursue viable cases, while respecting constitutional safeguards, including the right to fair hearing and protection against double jeopardy.
The anti-corruption organisation further argued that Nigeria should not depend on foreign courts to determine whether Nigerians accused of corruption should face justice within the country.
“Nigeria must not wait for foreign courts to determine whether Nigerians accused of corruption should face justice,” it said.
“Our institutions must sustain and improve the investigative capacity, evidence-gathering systems and international cooperation mechanisms required to pursue complex corruption cases, wherever the proceeds may have been moved.”
HEDA noted that the Alison-Madueke matter had an international asset-recovery dimension, with previous proceedings involving properties and other assets linked to the former minister in the UK and United States.
It consequently urged Nigerian authorities to provide clarity on the status of the various corruption investigations, criminal cases and asset-recovery proceedings involving Alison-Madueke.
The group also called for greater transparency in the management of recovered and forfeited assets, saying Nigerians should be informed about what has been recovered, where the assets are located, how they are being managed and how recovered funds are being deployed.
Suraju said the central issue was whether Nigeria had institutions capable of effectively investigating corruption allegations, prosecuting cases based on evidence and recovering public resources allegedly lost to corruption.
“The ultimate test is not whether justice can be obtained in London or any other foreign jurisdiction. The test is whether Nigeria has institutions capable of investigating credible allegations, prosecuting cases based on evidence, recovering the proceeds of corruption and ensuring that those resources are returned transparently to the Nigerian people,” he said.