The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has, therefore, written to the US Government asking it to freeze the accounts where the proceeds of the sales were paid into.
Documents seen by Punch showed that between May 2016 and August 2017, Aluko had hurriedly sold the properties through an opaque procedure.
The properties sold include: a house at 755 Sarbonne Road, Los Angeles, California, 90077, USA and a house at 952 North Alpine Drive, Beverly Hills, California 80210, the neighbourhood of notable Hollywood stars such as Sylvester Stallone and Steven Spielberg.
Other properties he sold include: a house at 1948 Tollis Avenue, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
They are suspected to have been sold in an off-market transaction using a limited liability company. An off-market sale in real estate refers to a property sold without any form of public advertising.
Forbes Magazine had reported last year that the property located at 755 Sarbonne Road, Los Angeles, was sold for $21.5m, taking a $3m loss after purchasing the sprawling residence in 2012 for $24.5m.
The said property was also sold in a similar manner barely two weeks before the EFCC was able to secure a Federal High Court order granting a Mareva injunction permitting the Nigerian Government to freeze assets owned by Aluko across the world.
Since the order, Aluko was said to have sold another three properties thereby frustrating attempts to seize them.
The EFCC in an application asked the US Government to ensure that the funds obtained from “the sale of the houses are, restrained if possible.”
It was also learnt that the anti-graft agency is seeking the seizure of three private jets allegedly belonging to Aluko as well as a yacht worth over $80m.
Other properties belonging to Aluko which the US has filed a civil forfeiture over include:
It was learnt that EFCC had also written to the British authorities for the forfeiture of Aluko’s assets.
The two properties in the UK include a house at 32 Grove End Road, London and a flat at One Hyde Park, 100 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7U, UK.
It was learnt that the Federal Government had triggered the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the British Government for the seizure of the properties.
The commission has also identified five properties belonging to Aluko in Canada, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.
A source at the EFCC said, “We identified three of Aluko’s properties in Switzerland. They include one at Via Magio 6, Montagnola 6926; one at Vila Floridiana Via Cantonale 176948 Porza Lugano and one at Colina D’Oro Montagnola.
“We have sent a request to the Swiss authorities and it has been vetted by the Swiss authorities. Action will be taken soon. A team from the EFCC is due in the United States and Switzerland any time from now to harmonise the details of the letter.”
For a long time, Aluko had been linked as a business associate of Diezani, who is under investigation by the Nigerian and British authorities for multi-billion money laundering and embezzlement.
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