The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has opposed former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke’s attempt to present evidence of her acquittal by a United Kingdom court before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The anti-graft agency asked Justice Inyang Ekwo to reject Diezani’s further and supplementary affidavit containing details of the June 17, 2026 judgment of the Southwark Crown Court in London.
The UK court had acquitted Diezani of bribery charges following a trial in which a jury found her not guilty of the allegations brought against her.
Diezani is currently challenging proceedings involving assets that the Nigerian authorities had forfeited or sought to dispose of. Her suit, filed against the EFCC, is before Justice Ekwo at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In July, the court had granted Diezani permission to file evidence relating to her UK acquittal after the EFCC, through its counsel at the time, did not oppose the application.
However, after Diezani’s legal team filed the further affidavit, the commission changed its position and filed a further counter-affidavit opposing the move.
The EFCC argued that the proceedings before the Southwark Crown Court concerned allegations prosecuted in the United Kingdom and were separate from the issues before the Nigerian court.
According to the commission, the UK proceedings and the acquittal had no direct bearing on the substantive matters being determined in the Abuja case.
The EFCC further argued that Diezani’s application introduced facts that were irrelevant to the issues before the court and could divert attention from the central questions in the suit.
The commission also maintained that the forfeiture proceedings before the Nigerian court involved specific assets and that the public sale notice referenced by Diezani did not establish that all the properties listed belonged to her.
It further argued that the forfeiture order in question related to items of jewellery and did not extend to other categories of assets or properties.
Diezani’s legal team, led by senior lawyer Mike Ozekhome, had previously argued that the UK judgment constituted a significant development that occurred after earlier court processes had been filed.
Her lawyers maintained that the acquittal was relevant to issues surrounding the legality of the forfeiture proceedings, particularly questions concerning conviction, fair hearing and due process.
They also clarified that Diezani was not asking the Nigerian court to overturn or sit on appeal over the decision of the UK court, but wanted the development placed before the court as a subsequent fact that could assist in determining her case.
The legal team argued that the UK judgment was unavailable when the earlier processes were filed and therefore could not have been included at that stage.
The latest disagreement centres on whether the UK acquittal should have evidential relevance to the separate Nigerian proceedings.
Justice Ekwo has consequently fixed November 11 for the hearing of the parties’ motions, including the EFCC’s preliminary objection and the substantive matter.
The development highlights the distinction between Diezani’s criminal proceedings in the UK and the asset-related proceedings before Nigerian courts. The UK acquittal concerns the specific bribery charges prosecuted there, while the Nigerian case involves separate proceedings relating to assets and forfeiture.
The matter remains before the Federal High Court, where the court is expected to determine the arguments of both sides.
