The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), has asked the former minister of petroleum, Diezani Alsion-Madueke to prepare for trial.
This
is in reaction to a statement issued by the embattled former minister,
who has been allegedly indicted in several corruption cases, saying she
never stole from Nigeria.
Alsion-Madueke, in her statement, said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is misleading.
The former minister also said President Buhari’s war on corruption is aimed at rubbishing the image of some select Nigerians.
According to Punch, Sagay said “She
should reserve her energy for her trial. If a $153m was found in
accounts linked to her and she was the minister selling oil on behalf of
the government, one does not need to put two and two together.
“Her statement is premature; let her prepare it for her defence.
“I
am sure you have watched the movie, ‘The Godfather’. The real godfather
never shoots anyone by himself. All he needs to do is press a button
and someone else will do it but that doesn’t mean that the murder cannot
be traced to him. So, when Diezani’s trial begins, the truth will be
made known.”
Also, the Director
General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu asked Alison-Madueke to
come back to Nigeria and clear her name.
Okechukwu said “She
was right when she said the money confiscated from her by the EFCC is
not her money. Of course, it is not her money, it is the money which
belong to the long-suffering Nigerian taxpayers which she took and
converted to personal use.
“While
in office as super minister, she never thought a day would come when
she would be called to give account, but today, there are questions she
does not have answers to. The EFCC is a legal entity set up by law. If
tomorrow I leave office as DG VON and there is reason for the EFCC to
investigate me, they will and I will not be hiding under any guise to
escape justice.
“In
2013, money was voted and a ceremony was held by the (ex-President
Goodluck) Jonathan administration that they were going to build three
refineries, one in Bayelsa, one in Kogi and another place. Where are
those refineries? Where is the money? Nigerians are wiser than before.
All these sentiments won’t sit well with Nigerians any longer. She
should return and help the EFCC recover what was stolen. ”
Diezani Alison-Madueke was elected as the first female President of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at the 166th OPEC Ordinary meeting in Vienna on November 27, 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment