Magu: I’m Ready To Testify Before Panel – Malami

–Says He’s Not Above Investigation

–Hints On Out Of Court Settlement Option For P&ID Case

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, said on Wednesday that he was ready to testify before the Ayo Salami Panel, which is investigating the embattled suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.

Malami disclosed this while speaking on Arise Television programme ‘Morning Show’ and monitored by our correspondent.

Magu’s probe by the Federal Government panel began after the AGF had accused him of corruption and insurbordination.

“For your information, I have signed and indeed executed about eight witness statements before the Commercial Court in UK which translated to the victory we are seeing today.

“If indeed, the Ayo Salami Panel invites Abubakar Malami as a person or the Attorney-General of the Federation, for any testimony, clarification, examination or cross-examination for that matter, Abubakar Malami will wholeheartedly, gladly, within the spirit and context of the rule of law, be there to testify,” Malami said.

Malami held that it was a normal thing to testify so long as that would assist the panel (or any other panel) in the consolidation of its investigations of Magu and the EFCC.

“So, the idea of testimony or appearance of Abubakar Malami before any panel or tribunal ,local and international, for the part of supporting an investigation that will now see to the establishment and unravelling of the truth associated with issues under consideration, is not new, and I will in no way exercise any restraint as far as honouring an invitation for the purpose of supporting any inquiry or investigation as concerned,” he said.

Furthermore, Malami debunked the assertions that he was scared of being probed.

He stressed that under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, nobody, including himself, was above being investigated.

“So, if indeed the office of the Attorney-General or the personality of Abubakar Malami is called to question, it is only natural to investigate and I think that neither the office of the Attorney-General nor Abubakar Malami, enjoys any immunity.

“If there are reasonable and serious grounds for suspicion of an offence, criminal conspiracy associated with P&ID, I think it is only natural against the background of the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that at the end of the day, that no stone is left unturned,” Malami said.

On the Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) case with Nigeria, of which the country had been granted an extension of time to seek the upturning of $9.6 billion fine, Malami maintained that even though settling out of court was captured in law or arbitration, the federal government was much more concerned with protecting its national interest, above any option.

“In as much as I cannot rule out the possibility of settlement, being a natural attribute of arbitral or judicial proceedings, but the fact remains that where fraud, corruption, criminal conspiracy, material misrepresentation, are concerned, it is indeed a tall order,” he said.

An out of court settlement is when parties involved in a lawsuit decide to withdraw the suit and resolve their issues outside of court.