Federal government has no information on the controversial request for the payment of $17 million to two lawyers regarding the repatriated $321 Abacha loot, Kemi Adeosun, Finance Minister has said.
The request for the payment was allegedly made by Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation.
Mr Malami requested the payment to two lawyers, Oladipo Okpeseyi and Temitope Adebayo, for a fresh contract to pursue the return of the Abacha loot.
“The Federal Ministry of Finance does not have any information regarding any payment made to the solicitors. You may, therefore, wish to direct your request to the Federal Ministry of Justice,” Adeosun said in a letter dated August 30.
Recall that the proposed payment triggered widespread controversy, following reports by online publication, The Cable, that the roles the lawyers were employed to perform had already been concluded by a Swiss lawyer, Enrico Monfrini’s law firm since 2014.
Monfrini, who was employed by the federal government in 1999 to facilitate the return of the money, completed the Luxembourg part of the job in 2014 and the recovered loot was domiciled with the Office of the Attorney-General of Switzerland, pending a Memorandum of Understanding that the money would not be misused by the Nigerian government.
Corroborating the points made in previous publications regarding the matter, Eric Mayoraz, the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, had said that the Attorney-General of Geneva took a final decision on the repatriation in 2014.
“The Attorney-General of Geneva did the final decision, I think in 2014. There was a ruling by the AG in Geneva that the money is ready to be delivered to Nigeria, with the condition that the money will not be diverted,” Mr Mayoraz said.
He added that the precondition formed the basis for the MoU which was eventually signed before the final repatriation in 2017.
Subsequently, Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF), a partner organisation with TheCable, made a Freedom of Information request to the minister asking for the details of the said request.
Mr Malami had confirmed making the request in an interview with Telegraph newspaper, where he cited exorbitant fees from the Swiss lawyer as reason for beginning a fresh contracts with the lawyers.
But Mr Mamai’s claim was swiftly refuted by Mr Monfrini who explained that he had long been paid, before Mr Malami assumed office.
The National Assembly is currently investigating the proposed payment to the controversial lawyers.
