U.S. recovers over $53M fraud proceeds involving Alison-Madueke, Aluko, Omokore

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday the final resolution of two civil cases seeking the forfeiture of various luxury assets that were the proceeds of foreign corruption offences and were laundered in and through the United States. Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke and businessmen Olajide Omokore and Kolawole Akanni were named in the cases.

“With the conclusion of the cases, the department has recovered roughly $53.1 million in cash – constituting the net liquidated value of the defendant’s assets – plus a promissory note with a principal value of $16 million,” the U.S. Justice department said in a statement seen by PREMIUM TIMES.

According to court documents, from 2011 to 2015, Nigerian businessmen Kolawole Akanni Aluko and Olajide Omokore conspired with others to pay bribes to Nigeria’s former Minister for Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who oversaw Nigeria’s state-owned oil company.