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UK’s National Crime Agency Freezes Alison-Madueke’s London Properties

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Diezani Allison-Madueke - Investors King
  • UK’s National Crime Agency Freezes Alison-Madueke’s London Properties

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has frozen London properties valued at £10 million allegedly bought for the former Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, as investigations into the case against her unravel by the day.

The two properties located at Regents Park in London, along with one in Buckinghamshire, have now been frozen based on the request of Nigerian authorities.

According to online news medium, Premium Times, a London court gave the freeze order in September 2016 but details of the rulings have only recently become public.

But the agency was too late in preventing a further two properties worth £8 million from being sold.

In July, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) had revealed four properties it alleged were bought for the former petroleum minister by individuals and firms seeking her influence in obtaining lucrative oil assets and crude oil lifting contracts.

Some of the oil assets were assigned to people believed to be her cronies through Strategic Alliance Agreements (SAAs).

The DoJ’s affidavit stated that businessmen, Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko were involved in the purchase of two of the properties allegedly bought for Alison-Madueke.

The UK order obtained by Africa Confidential, a newsletter specialising in politics and business in Africa, has revealed that three of the properties have been frozen under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Apart from Alison-Madueke, Omokore and Aluko, the order also named three other individuals as defendants in the case, all of whom were believed to have received contracts or oil assets from the NNPC during the embattled minister’s tenure.

The order forbids the defendants from disposing of or dealing in the properties.

Although the NCA has frozen three properties valued at £10 million, the agency was too late to prevent a further two properties worth £8 million from being sold.

One of these, a massive nine-bedroom house in London’s exclusive Hampstead Garden Suburb, bought by a British Virgin Islands-registered company in January 2011 for £5,850,000, was sold in May 2015.

Similarly, the property at 39 Chester Close, one of the properties listed in the DoJ case, which was bought by Aluko’s BVI-based Mortlake Investments for £1.73 million, was sold in July 2015, months before the NCA initially arrested the former minister.

UK estate agent, Daniel Ford & Co, assisted in the purchases of three of the properties, and UK solicitors firms, Addie & Co and Gordon’s Partnership, were conveyancers of the deals.

According to Corruption Watch, a UK NGO, investigators should look carefully at these organisations’ due diligence practices.

The order signals a step up in the UK’s investigation of the former minister, who was first arrested by the NCA in October 2015 when the agency confiscated her passport and £27,000 in cash found in her apartment.

However, the extent of the evidence against Alison-Madueke and the other defendants remains unclear.

The September 2016 forfeiture proceeding of the properties was held in private, meaning that the evidence that the NCA presented to support the seizure was not accessible.

Although some of the businessmen all had lucrative contracts with the NNPC, and are all accused of lavish spending for Alison-Madueke, this alone might not be enough to secure criminal prosecutions against any of them, analysts have said.

“In the U.S. and UK, simply buying luxury items for a government official like Ms. Alison-Madueke isn’t against the law,” said Aaron Sayne, a financial investigator and Senior Governance Officer at the National Resource Governance Institute.

“Investigators have to link the money involved to a crime that happened in Nigeria. And if the crime is bribery, they must also show that the items purchased rewarded her for helping someone win a government contract. That’s not easy to prove, especially well enough to stand up in court,” he pointed out.

The DoJ’s case included transcripts of conversations in which the minister appeared to admit her role in awarding the SAA contracts to Atlantic Energy – but it is still unclear whether the UK has additional evidence relating to the contracts that others received during Alison-Madueke’s tenure.

Is the CEO/Founder of Investors King Limited. A proven foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and many more. He has over two decades of experience in global financial markets.

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UAE Commits $30 Billion as COP28 Climate Talks Kick Off in Dubai

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UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed inaugurated the COP28 United Nations climate talks in Dubai on Thursday with a groundbreaking commitment of $30 billion to bolster climate solutions.

Notable world leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, are scheduled to address the summit.

The unprecedented scale of this year’s COP is evident with tens of thousands of delegates in attendance, making it one of the largest gatherings in COP history.

Beyond politicians and diplomats, the summit attracts campaigners, financiers, and business leaders, providing a diverse platform to address pressing climate challenges.

The urgency of the discussions is underscored by the UN’s declaration of 2023 as the hottest year on record, coupled with the ongoing rise in greenhouse gas emissions.

One early success at COP28 is the agreement among nations on details for managing a fund designed to aid vulnerable countries in coping with extreme weather events intensified by global warming.

Also, rich countries have pledged at least $260 million to initiate this facility.

UAE’s COP28 President, Sultan Al Jaber, announced the launch of ALTERRA, the largest private finance vehicle for climate change, in collaboration with BlackRock, Brookfield, and TPG.

ALTERRA aims to mobilize $250 billion by the end of the decade, with $6.5 billion allocated to climate funds for investments, particularly in the global south.

As the summit unfolds, other pivotal topics include agreements to expand renewables, commitments to phase out fossil fuels, rules for a forthcoming UN carbon market, and the first formal evaluation of global progress in combating climate change since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015.

The UAE’s decisive move in financing climate solutions sets a significant tone for COP28, emphasizing the imperative for collective action to address the escalating climate crisis.

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Nigeria Eyes BRICS Membership within Two Years as Foreign Minister Emphasizes Strategic Alignment

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In a strategic move towards global economic collaboration, Nigeria is aspiring to join the BRICS group of nations within the next two years.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, affirmed that Nigeria is open to aligning itself with groups that demonstrate good intentions, well-meaning goals, and clearly defined objectives.

Tuggar stated, “Nigeria has come of age to decide for itself who her partners should be and where they should be; being multiple aligned is in our best interest.”

He emphasized the need for Nigeria to be part of influential groups like BRICS and the G-20, citing criteria such as population and economy size that position Nigeria as a natural candidate.

BRICS, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, stands as a formidable bloc of emerging market powers.

In a recent move to expand its influence, BRICS invited six additional nations, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, Argentina, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates, to join the group.

Nigeria, as Africa’s largest economy, has been absent from the BRICS alliance, prompting discussions on the potential economic and political advantages the bloc could offer the country.

Analysts have noted that BRICS membership could provide Nigeria with significant leverage on the global stage.

Vice President Kashim Shettima clarified that Nigeria did not apply for BRICS membership after the bloc’s announcement of new members in August.

Shettima emphasized the principled approach of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, highlighting a commitment to consensus building in decisions related to international partnerships.

As Nigeria eyes BRICS membership, the move is seen as a strategic step towards enhancing its global economic and diplomatic influence.

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Nigeria Spends N231.27 Billion on Arms Procurement in Four Years Amidst Rising Security Challenges

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The Federal Government of Nigeria has disbursed a total of N231.27 billion for arms and ammunition procurement over the past four years.

Despite this significant investment, security agencies argue that the allocated funds are insufficient to effectively tackle the myriad security challenges afflicting the nation.

Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, defended the substantial budget for arms purchases during a session with the House of Representatives.

He emphasized that Nigeria’s dependence on foreign countries for military hardware, which are priced in dollars, diminishes the impact of the substantial budget when converted to the local currency.

General Musa explained, “We don’t produce what we need in Nigeria, and if you do not produce what you need, that means you are at the beck and call of the people that produce these items. All the items we procured were bought with hard currency, none in naira.”

He further illustrated the challenges faced, citing that a precision missile for drones costs $5,000, underscoring the magnitude of the expenses associated with arms procurement.

An analysis of the annual budgets for the Ministry of Defence and eight other armed forces from 2020 to 2022 reveals allocations of N11.72 billion, N10.78 billion, and N9.64 billion, respectively.

In 2023, N47.02 billion was disbursed for arms procurement, supplemented by a recently passed budget of N184.25 billion, resulting in a total of N231.27 billion.

Security expert Chidi Omeje raised concerns about the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), which is tasked with manufacturing arms locally. Omeje criticized DICON’s underperformance, urging the government to revamp the agency to reduce reliance on foreign nations for arms and ammunition.

Omeje stressed, “The new government must make sure that DICON lives up to its responsibilities,” highlighting the urgency of fostering self-sufficiency in arms production to address the country’s security challenges effectively.

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