By Uche Onyeali
Former Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) has accused the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukayode, of bias in his trial over recovered funds said to have been stashed away by the late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha.
The former AGF wants the EFCC chairman to recuse himself from his ongoing investigation, alleging personal vendetta and political persecution linked to his recent defection to African Democratic Congress, ADC.
Malami, who made this allegation yesterday through his media aide, Muhammad Doka, also accused the EFCC of conducting illegal detention, media harassment and procedural abuse.
He insisted that the probe against him was not driven by law enforcement considerations, but deep-seated historical animosity on the part of the EFCC leadership.
“I have been clearly pre-judged and cannot receive a fair, objective or lawful investigation under the current leadership of the EFCC,” Malami insisted.
The EFCC is still detaining Malami after his arrest, following his inability to meet the bail conditions granted to him.
The former minister has been asked by the anti-graft agency to clear himself of issues relating to money laundering, especially the operation of suspicious accounts.
”We have detained him over terrorism financing and the whereabouts of the Abacha loot recovered from Switzerland and the Island of Jersey in the UK.
”He would remain in custody until he fulfils the requirements.
“We arrested him for not meeting his bail conditions and he will remain in our custody until he meets those conditions.
“He is presently in our custody. He was initially granted bail, but did not meet the conditions. The offences against him are many,” the EFCC source said.
The commission had asked the former minister to be appearing daily for interrogation throughout December.
”Presently, we are investigating him for 18 different offences. Some of them are money laundering, abuse of office and terrorism financing.
”We cannot put a figure to the amount involved now because we keep uncovering some of the deals as we investigate,” the source disclosed.
Malami had insisted that the allegations against him were fabricated.
”For the avoidance of doubt, my public record in office stands in direct contradiction to any insinuation of complicity in terrorism financing.
”During my tenure as Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, I worked with other arms of government and relevant institutions to strengthen—not weaken—Nigeria’s legal and institutional framework against money laundering and the financing of terrorism,” he said.
