Amid allegations flying around that a whopping N2B was paid to his office from the repatriated Ibori loot, the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has come out to defend himself saying that recovered funds are not channelled to his office.
Malami said that the Federal Government has a designated account at the Central Bank of Nigeria for all recovered assets to be domiciled.
There had been the widespread accusations that the AGF’s office benefitted to the tune of N2B from the recently repatriated money from the United Kingdom for undisclosed services.
However, the Minister in a statement made available to Africa Daily News, New York yesterday denied the allegations that two billion naira was paid to his office from the recovered funds.
The statement was made available by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu and released in Abuja
According to the statement, ‘prior to the repatriation of all the recovered assets, Nigeria and relevant nations have signed Memorandum of Understanding as to what the monies will be put to and that the government has been working in compliance with all the provisions of multi-national agreements reached.
“It was on the basis of the application of the said funds in line with the agreements that Nigeria earns reputation among international committee of nations which translated into further recoveries.’
He said, ‘Abubakar Malami has neither as a person nor as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in any way receives any funds from the recovered assets’.
The Minister, therefore, challenged any person who has any evidence of such payments to either petition him or his office and in the alternative come out publicly with proofs.
