Magu Probe: Why I Won’t Appear Before Ayo Salami Panel – Malami

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, on Thursday, said that “his non-appearance at the Justice Ayo Salami Panel of Inquiry probing the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, was purely constitutional and not based on any ulterior motive.”

This was contained in a statement issued by Malami’s Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu.

Recall that the AGF had accused Magu of corruption and insurbordination.

As such, the federal government constituted a panel to probe the allegations.

However, the AGF held that serving as a witness in such probe “should be a constitutional matter.”

“In establishing propriety or otherwise of the presence of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice whose responsibility is to hold constitutional order one must root same within the constitutional provisions.

“The terms and wordings of invitation extended to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice by Justice Ayo Panel of inquiry against Magu runs contrary to the Constitutional provisions,” the statement partly read.

Malami stressed that so far, his operations has been within the confines of the constitution.

He also assured that he would keep discharging his supervisory responsibilities judiciously.

“The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is by the provision of the Constitution and extant laws empowered to serve supervisory role.

” In the case of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has been discharging the role effectively,” the statement read.