Emmanuel Onani, 
…says status makes extradition difficult
The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), has alleged that a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, may acquired her Dominican Republic citizenship ostensibly to “escape justice”. This was as Sagay noted that, by virtue of her dual citizenship, it would be extremely difficult for the Federal Government to pull through her extradition plans. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had filed charges of alleged corruption against Diezani, who is suspected to be in London, the United Kingdom, since her principal, former President Good luck Jonathan, lost his reelection bid in 2015. The constitutional lawyer, who spoke exclusively with Saturday Telegraph on why government’s efforts to extradite the former Minister to Nigeria for alleged fraud had dragged a little while, advised the authorities to open diplomatic talks with the Dominican government.
He expressed the hope that, with what he considers existing facts, coupled with both country’s Common wealth membership, the Caribbean nation might be persuaded to extradite the former “powerful” minister. He said: “The person in that situation if given diplomatic immunity by the country she is serving, cannot be subject to extradition. That is the normal thing but the way things are, I think Nigerian foreign office should get in touch with the Dominican Republic and explain to them that, they are providing refuge to an economic crime fugitive of Nigeria. “And as a fellow Commonwealth state, that action is against the interest of Nigeria and also their integrity and status as a member of the Commonwealth, who have similar interests and are supposed to support each other.
“They (Federal Government) have to approach it diplomatically, and persuade the Dominican Republic to withdraw the diplomatic immunity which they have granted her and allow her to be extradited for her offences so that they can file an application for extradition there that is if she is there because I don’t know if she is physically there or in London,” Sagay said.
Speaking further on the difficulty attending the planned extradition, the PACAC’s chairman said the Federal Government could apply to the United Kingdom government for extradition, upon confirmation that she is in London. According to him, the home government could claim that her Dominucan citizenship, was a “fraudulent scheme”. He said: “They need to file an extradition application there. That is, if the Dominicans gave that protection they have given her. If she is in London, I think the government should be able to apply for an extradition straight to Nigeria and claim that the Dominican citizenship and status as a minister is a fraudulent scheme to
