Justice Abubakar Kutigi had in his ruling on March 28, 2024, dismissed the charges of fraud, bribery and conspiracy filed against Adoke and other six defendants
Browsing: OPL 245
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is considering challenging the ruling of a Federal Capital Territory High Court, which dismissed the suit against a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, over alleged fraud in OPL 245, popularly referred to as Malabu oil deal.
The FCT High Court sitting in Jabi area of Abuja had on March 28, 2024 cleared Adoke of any wrongdoing in the deal.
However, the EFCC in a statement on Friday said it was undertaking a review of the development around the Malabu OPL 245 fraud case.
The statement, signed by the spokesman of the anti-graft agency, Dele Oyewale, said the review centred around the dismissal of the charges against Adoke and the conduct of the prosecuting counsel, Offem Uket.
Oyewale said: “The review will entail exploration of the option of appeal and possible change of counsel in view of the Commission’s dissatisfaction with the handling of the case by Uket.
“Nevertheless, this intention has no nexus whatsoever to the spew of speculations imputing compromise by parties to the charge, currently making the rounds in some sections of the media.
“EFCC is not obliged to embrace such narratives as it neither accused any of the parties of any unsavoury conduct nor made any conclusive statements about any investigation on the matter.”
The statement admonished the public to “ignore effusions of mischief makers on the matter and await the next course of actions”.
The court discharged and acquitted all the defendants of criminal charges on March 17, 2021.
A Geneva prosecutor is now reviewing the materials and will decide what can be shared with Italian authorities, where some trials have begun in the monumental bribery scandal
The long-running case revolves around the 2011 purchase by Italian oil company Eni and Anglo-Dutch peer Royal Dutch Shell of Nigeria’s OPL 245 offshore oilfield for about $1.3 billion
Allegations of missing money are often translated into naked truth, in this season, without due reflection, and regard for the facts of the case. This is so, in this instance, because of reports of corruption involving and surrounding the OPL 245 transactions and foreign investors – Shell and ENI, into which the courts in the home jurisdictions of those companies are inquiring
Adoke, who has been in Europe, stated his position in a statement he personally signed and made available to the media on Sunday
I am therefore convinced that the searches are in furtherance of an orchestrated plan to harass, intimidate and generally prevent me from pursuing my suit against the federal government
Although they displayed a warrant from a High Court of Justice in Gudu District, Abuja, the policemen refused to disclose their exact mission
Documents tendered before an Abuja Federal High Court by the former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, in a suit brought against the Attorney General of the Federation (ref. FHC/ABJ/CS/446/2017) seeking to prove his innocence in the $1.1 billion payment to Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, show that the Federal Government may have mismanaged the revocation of OPL 245 oil block and the eventual settlement agreement reached between the Federal Government of Nigeria and Malabu Oil and Gas Limited in November 2006
The House had last week said Jonathan was vital to its probe of the controversial oil deal in which Nigeria was said to have lost billions of dollars
It’s also pointless playing Ping-Pong with el-Rufai, when all that Dogara is prepared to serve is a pay slip that does his reputation no good. He seriously wants the world to believe that he earns less than Jibrin?
The position of the House was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on the investigation of alleged corruption, malpractices and breach of due process in the award of OPL 245, Rt. Hon. Razak Atunwa
The warrant was in relation to charges filed against two multinational oil firms and others, including Adoke, in connection to an alleged $1.1 billion Malabu Oil scam
The oil firm said it arrived at the conclusion after commissioning forensic investigations into the controversy over the sale of the oil block
Shell and ENI want the the order of forfeiture granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission discharged in a case now before the court.
Justice Tsoho also ordered the Department of Petroleum Resources to manage the OPL 245 on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria
‘We know those who have compromised their positions in order to author the alleged ‘Report’ and their theatrical display for public gallery. We also know those secretly beating the drums for masquerades dancing in the market square. We shall confront them at the appropriate forum’
The OPL 245 deal, popularly known as the Malabu oil deal, has turned into a major scandal, with allegations of money exchanging hands leveled against senior government officials, including Adoke and President Goodluck Jonathan