BREAKING: EFCC Files Fraud Charges Against Adoke, Etete, Aliyu Over Malabu Oil $1.1 Billion Deal
Mohammed Adoke, former Attorney-General of Nigeria[/caption]
The long awaited charge against officials involved in the controversial Malabu oil deal may have come at last as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has filed fraud charges against Nigeria’s former Attorney-General, Mohammed Adoke; a former petroleum minister, Dan Etete; and businessman, Abubakar Aliyu, and others for their roles in the Malabu $1.1 billion shady deal.
The 9-count charge was filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday.
OPL 245 is considered the richest oil bloc in Africa.
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It was alleged that Adoke ordered for the release of funds already domiciled in the federation account to Mr. Etete, who later on transferred over half of the money to accounts of companies’ controlled by Mr. Aliyu.
In December 31, 2015, Adoke in a letter to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo denied any wrongdoing in the deal and averred that the linking of his name to the scandal was an act of blackmail and a campaign of calumny directed at his person.
He accused the family of late military dictator, Sani Abacha, and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, of mounting a smear campaign to tarnish his reputation.
He had written: ““Furthermore, in the negotiations, the Office of the Attorney General ensured that all relevant ministries, departments and agencies including the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) were represented and participated to ensure compliance with extant laws and processes.
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“It is therefore incorrect and contrary to as widely claimed in some quarters that the money that was paid to Malabu, which was only warehoused in an escrow account, was meant for the Nigerian government and that the country was thereby shortchanged.
“Malabu as title-holder of the oil block merely dispensed of her interest in it as allowed by law. This indeed is the case with similar oil blocks allocated to several notable Nigerians who also disposed of their interests to oil multinationals and are enjoying the proceeds without any eyebrow or allegations of corruption.”
