The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has today Wednesday denied the rumour that it has dropped charges against the former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, The Guardian News reports.
Wilson Owujaren, the anti-graft agency's spokesperson made the confirmation through a phone call, saying the news was fake news and that the general public should disregard it, adding that there were no amendments to the charges to the former Minister.
Earlier, the local news media reported that the anti-graft agency has dropped all 14 count charges against Diezani.
The EFCC was also alleged to have dropped the charges against Ben Otti, Nnamdi Okonkwo, Stanley Lawson, Lanre Adesanya, and Dauda Lawal, all of whom are former officials of commercial banks and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Diezani is being charged for bribery, fraud, misuse of public funds and money-laundering cases among others in Nigeria, Italy, Britain and the US.
The allegations are backed by documented evidence from the US department of Justice which unveiled Diezani as part of the law suit seeking to reclaim assets worth $144 million suspected to be a corruption proceeds. The assets include a $50 million luxury condo apartment in New York and a $80 million yacht.
The anti-graft agency had in a 14 count-charge, accused some bank executives and Diezani with other NNPC officials for conspiring to conceal $153 million domiciled in Fidelity bank, which ordinarilly they ought to have known were proceeds of corruption punishable under the Money Laundering Act.