The former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has insisted that his only interaction with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was strictly limited to clarifications on an alleged duplication in the recovery of Abacha loot.
Malami stated that his engagement with the anti-graft agency had nothing to do with terrorism financing, money laundering or the ownership of multiple bank accounts.
In a statement issued by his media office on Wednesday, Malami dismissed the allegations circulating in some media platforms as “false, misleading and baseless,” insisting that “no security, intelligence or law-enforcement agency in Nigeria or abroad has ever accused, investigated or questioned me over terrorism financing or multiple bank accounts.”
He stressed that the EFCC had only invited him to clarify issues concerning the $310 million Abacha loot recovered during the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
He further pointed to Swiss lawyer Enrico Monfrini’s 2016 request for re-engagement as proof that the earlier recovery process had not been concluded.
Malami said the Buhari administration rejected Monfrini’s proposed $5 million upfront fee and success fee of up to 40 per cent, opting instead for Nigerian lawyers at a capped 5 per cent cost.
The senior advocate said the decision saved the country billions of naira, adding that different tranches of Abacha loot were recovered at separate times.
