Malabu scandal: Be firm against corrupt officials, HEDA tells FG

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) and its
global partners has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the
Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami to stand firm
in pursuing criminal conduct associated with the Malabu oil
scandal.

HEDA has been working with international anti-corruption groups,
Global Witness, Cornerhouse and Re:Common, to expose fraud
associated with the Malabu oil deal.

Also the Federal Government had last week told a London court in
the case filed in December 2018 against Shell and Eni over the
controversial Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL 245) accused
ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and former Petroleum Minister
Diezani Alison-Madueke of accepting bribes to broker the OPL 245
deal.

Jonathan had dismissed the accusation in a statement by his
media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, saying he has no hand in any fraud
associated with the OPL 245.

HEDA and its partners had commissioned a report which indicated
that Nigeria would lose close to $7bn as a result of the OPL245
fraud. The report was presented three weeks ago in Abuja.

In a statement on Sunday, HEDA said the court filings by the
Federal Government in the United Kingdom “is a clear admission that
local officials were hands-deep in fraudulent deals running into
billions of dollars”.

The chairman of HEDA, Olanrewaju Suraju, said the civil society
was pleased with the action of the federal government and urged it
to remain firm in pursuing the case.

“We are pleased with the new filings by the Federal Government
in the UK court. Contrary to this latest acceptance, the Attorney
General of the Federation had written to the president, demanding
EFCC’s discontinuation of trial of the people and companies
involved claiming there are no sufficient evidence to prosecute the
case.

“We reject the AGF for his flip-flop and insufficient support or
even disbelief in the anti-corruption efforts of the agencies”,
Suraju said.

He however said it is pleasing that the AGF has now agreed with
the EFCC that there are criminal elements in the case and “that it
is disadvantageous to the interest of Nigeria, but that the AGF
needs to go further and back up with practical actions.”

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