The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC),has commenced investigations of the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation(AGF), and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
The anti graft agency, which he once supervised as the AGF and minister of justice is investigating allegations of corruption and abuse of office against Malami contained in a petition.
The investigation is a crux of a memo dated July 19, 2023, signed by the Petition Registrar, ICPC, H.S. Folaranmi, on behalf of the ICPC Chairman, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye
The memo was in response to a petition filed by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda(HEDA), accusing the former AGF of corruption and high-handedness.
“I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your petition on the above subject and to inform you that necessary action is being taken on the matter,” the memo read.
HEDA petitioned the ICPC through its Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, on July 10, 2023. The petition sighted by The Punch had referenced a number of allegations against Malami as follows:
“Below are but a few of several corruption allegations against Mr. Abubakar Malami: On the 2nd day of May 2022, it was widely reported by various news outlets that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; Abubakar Malami SAN distributed 30 car gifts worth over N1,000,000,000 to his supporters in Kebbi State.
“The car gifts included 14 Mercedes Benz, eight Prado SUVs, four Toyota Hilux and four Lexus LX. Beneficiaries of the car gifts, as reported by Premium Times, were social media influencers, executive members of Mr Malami’s foundation and women support groups.
“Two, illegal auctioning of sea vessels holding crude oil seized by the Federal Government, violating Section 31(2) and (4) of the EFCC Act 2004 and assuming the role conferred on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as reported by TheCable Newspaper on the 13th July, 2020.
“The AGF also authorised the sale of these vessels by companies under EFCC prosecution for similar offence of illegal bunkering and this action was admitted by the AGF through his Media Assistant pleading presumption of innocence on the part of the accused, in a case being prosecuted by the Federal Government through the EFCC.”
The group also referenced “alleged duplicity of payment of $16.9m fees to two friends as new lawyers for the recovery of the loot traced to a former Nigerian Head of State, Sani Abacha, after a Swiss lawyer, Enrico Monfrini, hired and fully paid by the previous government, to help in the recovery had completed his brief as reported by Premium Times on the 10th of April, 2018.”
READ ALSO: Why Tinubu dropped ministerial nominee Maryam Shetty for Mariya Mahmud –Ganduje