The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has offered reasons why he did not honour the invitation of the Justice Ayo Salami panel probing the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.
The Minister offered the explanation in a statement by his spokesperson, Dr. Umar Gwandu, on Thursday.
Malami said he refused to attend the panel because the wordings of the invitation extended to him were unconstitutional.
The statement said: “Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has said that his non-appearance at Justice Ayo Salami Panel of Inquiry probing the suspended chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, was purely constitutional and not based on any ulterior motive.”
The statement said inviting the AGF “to serve as a witness in any investigation should be a constitutional matter.”
It added: “In establishing propriety or otherwise of the presence of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, whose responsibility is to hold constitutional order, one must root same within the constitutional provisions.
“The terms and wordings of invitation extended to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice by Justice Ayo (Salami) panel of inquiry against Magu runs contrary to the Constitutional provisions.”
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