Embattled former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami is facing another trouble as a civil society organisation, Human and Environmental Agenda, has demanded a “thorough, immediate and urgent investigation” into the alleged N1bn car gifts to his supporters in Kebbi State.
This is coming one week after a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory fixed new date for hearing on a case instituted against Malami for allegedly abusing his office and forcing an international businessman and property developer, Mr. Cecil Osakwe to give out a property to a woman. In the suit, Osakwe is seeking an order to compel the erstwhile AGF to pay N1billion as damages.
In the current case, Human and Environmental Agenda, an anti-corruption group, in a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, also demanded Malami’s probe over several allegations of corruption and abuse of office levied against him.
HEDA said its four-page petition, signed by its Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, was also copied to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
The group decried the lack of investigation by anti-corruption agencies into those allegations, which, according to a statement by the group, were conveyed by media reports and documentary evidence.
It noted that such lack of investigation went “to the root of breakdown of law and order and total disregard for the rule of law while Mr Malami served as Minister of Justice.”
HEDA cited some of the corruption allegations against Malami to include “distribution of 30 car gifts worth over N1 billion to his supporters in Kebbi State.”
The car gifts, according to the group, include “14 Mercedes Benz, eight Prado SUVs, four Toyota Hilux and four Lexus LX,” adding that “the beneficiaries were social media influencers, executive members of Mr Malami’s foundation and women support groups.”
Other allegations highlighted by the group include, “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 The Cable Newspaper on July 13, 2020.
“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 PremiumTimes on April 10, 2018.
According to the petitioners- “It was alleged that Mr Malami undertook the action with the intention for kickback from the deal.
“Allegedly seeking the withdrawal of cases against Bello Adoke, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Abubakar Aliyu and others involved in the Malabu scandal through his letters to former President Muhammadu Buhari on the grounds of lack of significant evidence to prove allegations of sharp practices against prominent players in OPL 245 oil deal,” among others.
HEDA stressed that it strongly believed that the allegations against the former AGF were too serious to be ignored or allowed to go without investigation.
In the earlier mentioned case, Justice Oluyemisi Adelaja adjourned the case for definite hearing, even as he directed the service of all the necessary court papers on the ex-AGF, Malami, SAN, to enable him to enter his defence in the matter.
He further directed that a proof of service of the suit and hearing notice on Malami, should be made available to the court.
The plaintiff, in the legal action he instituted through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Victor Giwa, told the court that the former AGF, using his office, arm-twisted him to give out two units of three-bedroom flats in one of his properties situated as Mekong Close, Maitama, Abuja to a civil servant, Mrs. Asabe Waziri.
Osakwe alleged that Malami forced him to hand the property worth about N130million to Mrs. Waziri, against a subsisting order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
The plaintiff told the court that Malami, SAN, while in office as the AGF waded into a civil dispute his firm had with Mrs. Waziri and used his position to supervise his continuous harassment by security operatives.
Alleging that his fundamental rights were grossly violated, the plaintiff, said he sued Malami both in his official and personal capacity.
He maintained that the AGF acted with malice and abused his office by raising charge of “collecting money under false pretense’’ against him with a view to ensuring that the property was fully handed over to Mrs. Waziri who was also cited as a defendant in the suit.
According to the plaintiff, Malami took the action, even though he was aware that the 2nd defendant had initially moved into the said property and stayed for over eight months before she was vacated from it by a lawful court order that terminated sales transaction between both parties.
Consequently, aside from praying the court to declare that the AGF engaged in abuse of public office, the plaintiff, urged the court order him to pay N1bn as damages.
At the resumed proceedings in the matter on last week Monday, Malami was neither present in court nor represented by any lawyer which Irked counsel to the plaintiff, Mr. Giwa to contend that the former AGF ought to be in court, insisting that he could not use the office he occupied for about eight years, to pursue his personal interest.
He told the court that the bailiff was duly mobilised to serve the processes on Malami, insisting that he was aware that the matter was slated for hearing.