By Fola James
Mohammed Adoke, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice was a fugitive of the law for five years until he landed in EFCC’s net last year, after his arrest at the Nnandi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on arrival from Dubai where he has lived for five years after leaving government in 2015.
After spending the holidays in EFCC custody, the former AGF was finally arraigned on Monday in Abuja over his role in the Malabu Oil deal.
Those familiar with the facts of the case told the magazine that the matter is very complicated, so freedom for the former chief law officer is not on the table.
At least for now.
The EFFC has filed 42 charges against Adoke over the $1.09bn Settlement Agreement on Malabu Oil Block.
Adoke is being prosecuted for allegedly receiving N300 m bribe to wave tax accrual to the federal government.
He’s being tried alongside six others which include a former minister of petroleum, Dan Etete, who could not be arraigned because he’s currently at large.
The trial is Nigeria’s version of the international investigation which has seen some of the suspects jailed.
Those already jailed are Emeka Obi and an Italian Gianluca Di Nardo, jailed for four-years in 2018 by an Italian court in Milan, Italy.
The duo were jailed for allegedly being middlemen and collecting bribes to push the deal through the Nigerian bureaucracy.
EFCC arraigned Adoke before Justice Kutigi for allegedly collecting N300million to facilitate and negotiate Oil Block 245 Resolution Agreement with Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited; and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited.
According to the marked sheet CR/151/2020, signed by Bala Sanga, Aliyu Yusuf, Offem Uket, M.S. Mohammed and H.A. Shehu, the commission accused Adoke of compromising his position as a public servant.
The charge sheet reads“That you Mohammed Bello Adoke, whilst being a public servant, as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice of the Government of Federation of Nigeria at the material time, sometime in 2013 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, accepted from Aliyu Abubakar a gratification of the sum of other than lawful remuneration, as a motive for facilitating and negotiating the Block 245 Resolution Agreement with Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited, Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited, and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited, and thereby committed an offence under section 115 of the Penal Code and punishable under the same section of the Penal Code.”
The allegation also includes “That you Mohammed Bello Adoke, while being a public servant at the material time, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice of the Government of Nigeria, sometime in 2013, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, accepted for yourself without consideration, the sum of N300m to broker the negotiation and signing of the Block 245 Resolution Agreement with Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited, Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited and thereby committed an offence under section 119 of the Penal Code and Punishable under the same section of the Penal Code.”
“Mohammed Bello Adoke, while being a public servant as the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice of the Government of the Federation, Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited; Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited; and Nigeria AGIP Exploration Limited sometime in April 2011 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowingly disobeyed the direction of law as to your conduct as such public servant intending thereby to cause injury to the public in respect of Block 245 Resolution Agreement with Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited, Nigeria AGIP Exploration Limited, Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited in which you agreed to waive taxes due to the Federal Government of Nigeria and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 123(a) of the Penal Code Cap. 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria(Abuja) 1990 and punishable under Section 123 of the same Penal Code,” EFCC also said.
The former minister has, however denied the allegations against him.
