Abubakar Malami (SAN), the ex-Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) under the Buhari administration is to face investigation and possible prosecution for his role in several corrupt and suspicious deals involving the Federal Government of Nigeria.
TheCable is reporting that Malami is to face special investigations over more than five suspicious transactions during his tenure as AGF.
The suspicious transactions listed include:
1. The payment of $496m to an Indian firm, Global Steel Holdings Ltd. This payment was listed as settlement for the termination of the Ajaokuta Steel Company concession despite the firm waving all claims to any compensation since 2013
2. The Paris Club refunds to states which involved a $419million judgement debt awarded to consultants
3. The payment of $200million compensation to Sunrise Power over its dispute with the concession of the Mambilla Power Station
4. Legal fees duplication in the $321million transfer of Abacha loot from Switzerland to Nigeria
5. Involvement in murky sale of billions of naira worth of assets seized by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The assets were seized from politically exposed persons.
Malami is believed to have acted against the interests of Nigeria by either not disclosing full information or misleading the Federal Government into making such payments. Most of the transactions were openly suspicious and fit a pattern, whereby “unknown” contractors would connive with government officials to obtain concessions that they had no intention to follow through. The contractors would then take the government to foreign courts for arbitration in which millions of dollars would then be awarded to such companies.
This practice got to an intolerable level during the tenure of Abubakar Malami, which raised suspicions about his role in such transactions.
He had also been accused of interfering with the operations of the EFCC during the tenure of Ibrahim Magu as boss of the anti-graft agency. In 2020, Malami filed a petition to the Federal Government for the sack of Ibrahim Magu on the basis of insubordination and misconduct. Magu was eventually removed and replaced by Abdulrasheed Bawa.
In 2019, Malami was almost stripped of his Senior Advocate Rank when he faced a disciplinary panel of the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee, for infractions against the legal profession. The case was thrown out for procedural issues.
Malami is an in-law to former President Muhammadu Buhari, and served as AGF for eight years.
