Why £4.2 Million Recovered From Ibori Will Not Go To Delta Treasury – Malami

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN has made it clear that the £4.2 million looted by former Delta State Governor, James Ibori, was in breach of federal and international law, and as such the return of it by the British government will be for the betterment of the Nigerian state and not the Delta State Government.

THE WHISTLER earlier reported that the British Government had agreed to return to the country the said amount and Malami said the expected assets would be channeled towards funding the Second Niger Bridge, Abuja – Kano expressway and the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway.

Meanwhile, there have been calls on social media that the money be returned to the coffers of the Delta State government from where it was looted.

But the AGF who spoke on Channels Television Politics Today, on Tuesday, denied any form of double standards in the planned usage of the said fund.

He said the major consideration as to who should benefit from the fund is a function of law and international diplomacy.

“Function of the law in the sense that, the law that was alleged to have been breached is a federal law and then secondly, in dealing with the international community and international diplomacy, the parties of interest are the state parties and not sub-nationals that are involved. And with those background in mind all the processes associated with the recovery and processes consummated by the federal government; the federal government is the victim of crime and not the sub-nationals. The law is a federal law that was alleged to have been breached and then the parties are nationals and not sub-nationals; UK government where the money was eventually looted and then the Nigerian government that had pursued the recovery of such money.

“Whether Delta state government will benefit from it or not is a function of local law; but agreement as consummated by the parties is for the benefit of the Nigerian state as a victim of crime and not the Delta state government,” he said.

He further added that the Second Niger Bridge, Abuja – Kano expressway and the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway were part of the agreement that fast-tracked the deal between the UK and Nigeria.

“The recovery process is a function of mutuality (the Nigerian Government and a foreign government is involved). Over and above the legislative and statutory aspect of it, we equally have to factor the negotiated element.

“In 2012 for example, Kano-Abuja Expressway, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Second Niger Bridge were not factored into consideration by way of the application of the fund. In 2020/2021, the agreement negotiated factored this element into consideration. That established the fact that it is a function of negotiation and as such, is not about double standards per se but the negotiations…

“It is more or less an international agreement eventually reached among the parties, so the idea of double standards does not arise because each and every case has its peculiarities and must be treated on the basis of its peculiarities,” he said.

Regarding a Federal High Court, Abuja, subpoena on him to appear and give evidence in the money laundering trial of the embattled former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform TaskTeam, Abulrasheed Maina, Malami said he has not been served.

“Well I have not been served with any subpoena as it is, but then, when it is served we will look at it within the context of the law and the public interest for us to arrive to arrive at a decision,”he said.

Ngozika Ihuoma, a management consultant to the Pension Reform Task Team, had named the AGF while giving his testimony before trial judge Okong Abang.