By Tosin Olatokunbo
Abubakar Malami, Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice has been under fire for once engaging Trobell International Limited, an unknown company to recover over $61 billion debt owed the federal government by some international oil companies operating in the country.
Even though the government has stopped the firm from executing the contract after public outcry, the minister has been on the spot for alleged conflict of interest over the multi-billion dollar contract.
Recall that In 2018, the Supreme court declared that five international oil companies. IOC owed the federal government over $61 billion after the apex court’s judgment which adjusted the Production Sharing Contracts between Nigeria and the firms.
The oil firms have since challenged the judgment.
The past few days, has been for the nation’s chief law officer, a very traumatic one after he was accused of engaging the debt recovery firm based on personal gratification.
Malami has now issued a statement debunking the allegation that he had any ulterior motive for engaging the company.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr Umar Gwandu, on Friday, Malami said he has no personal connection with the company contrary to reports.
According to the statement “Malami in his personal capacity does not have personal ‘debt collectors’ for the recovery of Federal Government’s debts.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice does not engage recovery agents based on projected personal gratification or individual’s inclinations.
He said the selection of all the firms involve in debt recovery for the government was done with due diligence, sincerity and with the interest of Nigerians in mind.
“All those engaged by the Federal Government for undertaking certain tasks in the recovery of assets and generation of revenues belonging to the government did not belong to ‘Malami’ as mischievously portrayed by some certain media outlets but the Federal Government of Nigeria through the instrumentality of the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
Such engagements were purely based on the interest of the general public as a guiding principle.”
He said public outburst against the choice of later made the Buhari administration to drop the company.
The Buhari’s government that initially engaged the firm, Malami stated “is the same Federal Government that engaged the Trobell in the recovery of the unpaid Federal Government revenue that asked the agency to step down based on the stakeholders’ meeting held.”
Meanwhile, the debt-recovery firm has now demanded over $1.5 billion compensation from the federal government over the botched contract.
The amount is 50 percent of the fee originally awarded to the company.
