Nigeria’s former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke
once allegedly threatened to reveal everything that transpired in the
controversial fraudulent transactions between her and co-conspirators, Kola
Aluko and Jide Omokore.
She made the comment in a recorded telephone conversation,
obtained by the prosecutors probing the corruption allegations against her.
It has now been filed as part of a civil complaint by the
United States Department of Justice (DoJ),seeking the forfeiture of over $144
million slush funds.
In the recorded conversation with Aluko, Diezani said she
helped her co-conspirators secure the multi-billion dollar Strategic Alliance
Agreements (SAAs) deals.
She expressed her anger over the acquisition of assets by
Aluko and Omokore.
Dieziani warned that they may invite law enforcement
agencies due to their lavish lifestyle.
“You and Jide [i.e., OMOKORE] had some of the most support
that we could possibly give. At a time when we’re not doing anything else, we
stuck our necks out regarding the SAA and we supported it. [INAUDIBLE] How the
two of you have ruined it is incredulous and incredible to all of us,” she
said.
“I spoke to you several times about your general behaviour,
acquisition of assets, etc., asking you to be a bit more careful because [INAUDIBLE]
will start following you. I remember we had this open discussion more than
once. You kept telling me that there was no issue because you did it in a
certain way, you did it in a certain—and I kept telling you that it doesn’t
matter how you do it.
“Once you start acquiring, acquiring, acquiring at a certain
level, then you’ll be—whether you like it or not, whether it was done in the
most transparent—you understand?— manner or not, because they will want to
trace where it came from. This is an age of terrorism.
“If you want to hire a yacht, you lease it for two weeks or
whatever. You don’t go and sink funds into it at this time when Nigerian oil
and gas sector is under all kinds of watch, as we have been for some time, and
where Atlantic [i.e., AEDC and/or AEBD] itself has been the subject of all
kinds of speculation,” she said.
In the recorded audio, the ex-Minister threatened that she
was ready to reveal everything that transpired between them to Nigerians.
“I said tell him [i.e., ALUKO] to bring everything out, and
then you know what will happen? No problem, I will be happy to escort all of
you to jail along with myself. I said, in fact, you’ll be shocked by what I
will do. Because when it comes to that, I will come out and tell the Nigerian
people this is what happened.
“Oh, yes, I will blame myself, but it [INAUDIBLE] place and
everything. Anything they want to say, I am happy to go. But I will come out
openly and say it so that they can judge me openly. And then all of us go and
sit on the gate. Let us see who survived [INAUDIBLE], me or you,” she said.
By Ifreke Inyang
