A federal high court in Abuja, has ordered a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke, to appear before it for an arraignment on money laundering charges filed against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC.
Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu gave the order in a ruling on an ex parte application shortly after it was moved by the lawyer to the anti graft agency, Mr Farouk Abdullah.
The judge ordered the defendant, who is alleged to have escaped to the United Kingdom, after leaving office in 2015, to appear in court to answer 13 counts of money laundering involving $39.7m and N3.32bn said to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
Justice Ojukwu, in her rulings, ordered that the court summons be published on the website of the EFCC and a national daily in a conspicuous manner.
The case was subsequently adjourned by the judge till October 28 for the defender’s arraignment.
Meanwhile, in the application, the anti corruption agency stated it had made futile efforts to question the former minister on her role in the award of Strategic Alliance Agreement to Septa Energy Limited, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited and Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC.