The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, amended the criminal charges it filed against a former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Bello Adoke (SAN), Mr. Aliyu Abubakar, and five others over their alleged roles in the multi-billion dollar Malabu Oil scam which the Anti-graft Agency is prosecuting.
The defendants were re-arraigned before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on a 42 count charge following the amendment of the initial charges.
Those arraigned alongside Adoke and Abubakar included Mr. Rasky Gbinigie, the Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, the Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited, the Shell Nigeria Extra Deep Limited, and the Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited.
Read Also: $876m Fraud: EFCC Provides More Evidence To Nail Malabu Oil
The anti-graft agency had earlier arraigned the defendants before Justice Idris Kutigi of the FCT High Court in Gwagwalaga, Abuja, on January 23, 2020.
But when the matter came up yesterday, the Prosecuting Counsel, Mr. Bala Sanga, told the court that the EFCC had filed amended charges dated January 18, 2021, against the defendants and urged the court to allow the charges to be read for them to take their fresh
plea.
Thereafter, the charges were read to the defendants who pleaded not guilty.
Thereafter, Sanga asked for a date for commencement of trial.
Based on the agreement of the parties, Justice Kutigi adjourned the case till April 14-15 for hearing and ordered Adoke, Aliyu, and Gbinigie to remain on bail earlier granted them by the court.
The Federal Government had in a document with charge number CR/151/2020 dated Jan. 14 and filed on Jan. 15, at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, accused Adoke and others of receiving gratification to allegedly carry out a fraudulent oil deal.
According to the FG, as Attorney-General, Adoke mediated controversial agreements that ceded OPL 245 to Shell and Eni who in turn paid about $1.1 billion dollars to accounts controlled by former Petroleum Minister, Dan Etete.
Etete, now at large, was a former Petroleum Minister under the regime of General Sani Abacha.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
