Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN), has petitioned the AGF and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) against his indictment by Nigeria’s lawyer, Mr. Lucio Lucia, at the ongoing trial of Shell and others by a Milan Court in Italy.
In the protest letter dated September 10, he personally signed, Adoke appealed to Malami to call Lucia, “to order” so as to prevent him from trampling upon his rights.
Adoke stated this in a “Letter of complaint against the conduct of Mr Lucio Lucia representing the Federal Government of Nigeria in the Milan proceedings against Shell, Eni and other individuals” complained about how Lucio, presented him as corrupt and partly responsible for fraud allegations being tried by the Milan court.
“Mr. Lucio Lucia in his submission before the court on 09/09/2020, on the position of Federal Republic of Nigeria as injured party entitled to civil compensation, had allegedly “reaffirmed the indictment of Mr. Adoke and others in the heist” connection with the OPL 245 Resolution Agreement.
“He proceeded to make other bizarre and unfounded allegations to the effect that I was extradited from Dubai for toe corruption related to OPL 245 knowing fully that nothing of sort ever happened and with characteristic audacity, he carelessly reconstructed the evidence on my mortgage transaction with Unity Bank Plc which is subject of ongoing criminal proceedings in Nigeria to suit his narrative”, Adoke said.
He reminded Malami that his official role as AGF and Minister of Justice in the implementation of OPL 245 Settlement Agreement has been the subject of judicial pronouncement by the Federal High Court, Abuja on April 13, 2018 where the court exonerated him of any wrong doing.
The trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako, had amongst others held that, “The Plaintiff cannot be held personally liable for carrying out the lawful approvals of the President while he served as a minister of the government of the federation.”
Adoke also reminded Malami that apart from the above judicial pronouncement, the OPL 245 Resolution Agreements was a subject of review of two cabinet ministers in the present administration; Malami and former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, wherein they did not find him guilty of wrong doing, adding that Kachukwu, in his letter to the Chief of Staff to the President dated December 13, 201 7, “Came to the reasoned conclusion that the agreements were in the national interest”.