Abacha Loot: Adeosun Washes Hands Off Campaign Against AGF Malami

Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, has distanced herself from media reports that she blocked the payment of $16.9 million legal fees to the lawyers engaged by the Attorney General of Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, to recover the $322.5m Sani Abacha loot from the Swiss Government.

In the reports, Adeosun was said to have refused to approve the payment of the said legal fees to two lawyers engaged by the government to help recover the loot.

The reports claimed that the minister wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari, objecting to the payment of the sum to the legal professionals.

But reacting in a statement on Tuesday, Mrs Adeosun stated categorically that there is no controversy surrounding the process that led to the recovery of the loot.

“My attention has been drawn to false media reports of a “strongly-worded letter to the President” objecting to the payment of $16.9 million fees to two lawyers for the recovery of Abacha funds.

“Let me make this clear: the media reports claiming that I wrote to the President regarding the Abacha refunds are all false and should be disregarded. There is no controversy whatsoever regarding the recovery. The $322.5m received from the Swiss Government in December 2017 is with the Central bank.

“The Minister wishes to dissociate herself and the Ministry from recent malicious and misleading media reports on the Abacha refunds. The Minister had at no time written any letter to the President or any member of the FEC on the payment of lawyers for the Abacha recovery, ” she said.