Uk Court Seizes Cash from Alison-Madueke

                                  
The trial of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, for alleged financial crime began yesterday at a Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London. The court ordered the seizure of £27,000 cash and a yet-to-be ascertained sum from a woman, Ms. Beatrice Agama, identified as her mother, who was also in court. However, details of her charges were not readily known as at press time.

The former minister was arrested last Friday and granted bail after she was quizzed. As she was being arrested in London, a team of operatives from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raided her house in Abuja where some documents were said to have been seized.
According to a burst of tweets from a reporter with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Mr. Sam Piranty, the court ordered that the cash should be impounded following an application for the seizure under the Proceeds of Crime Act made by the National Crime Agency.
The cash is to be detained until April 5, 2016 under Section 295 of Proceeds of Crime Act. Three of the names of four of those arrested in London alongside Alison- Madueke, has emerged. Alison-Madueke was arrested in London on Friday by the United Kingdom National Crime Agency.
The agency refused to reveal the identity of those arrested alongside Alison- Madueke, but confirmed that four other persons were picked up. But, Piranty, who has been covering the case, unveiled the identity of the others who were picked up. Piranty said they were Alison-Madueke’s mother, Beatrice Agama; Ugonna Madueke; and a Swiss, Melanie Spencer.
On the identity of the fourth person arrested by the UK NCA, Piranty said it was not certain if it was a former Managing Director of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company, Haruna Momoh. He tweeted: “Unsure about Haruna Momoh or if it was his doppelganger.”
One online report is saying Ugonna Madueke is the former petroleum minister’s step son. Alison-Madueke, who is being probed over her alleged involvement in suspected bribery and money laundering, had been accused of various crimes while in office. She was accused of superintending over the missing of $20 billion oil sales proceeds by former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. She, however, denied the allegation.