The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has claimed it has discovered $72.87million linked to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
This was contained in a statement released by the anti-graft agency on Wednesday.
According to the EFCC, the amount was discovered in a Fidelity Bank account and Nnamdi Okonkwo, a former managing director of the bank, has been arrested over the development.
“As part of the ongoing investigations into the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested a former Managing Director of Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo, allegedly over an additional $72, 870,000million still in the coffers of the bank,” the statement reads.
“Okonkwo, who is currently the Chairman of First Bank Holding, alongside others, had earlier been grilled over a sum of $153million and $115million by the Commission.
“While all the $153 million was recovered by the EFCC, the cases involving $115million, as it relates with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, bribery matter, are in various courts.
“Okonkwo and Charles Onyedibe are currently being detained by the EFCC over the whereabouts of the new $72.8m.”
Diezani, who had fled the county shortly before former President Goodluck Jonathan handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, is alleged to have stolen $2.5 billion from the Nigerian government while she was minister.