Reacting to a report in the media that the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the 2011 non-prosecution agreement executed between the Federal Government and Tidex Nigeria Limited, Adoke said it was the anti-corruption commission, under the chairmanship of Mrs Farida Waziri, that initiated the deal. According to him, the anti-corruption commission nominated Mr Godwin Obla as its lawyer to represent its interest in the negotiations conducted under the auspices of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation. “I would ordinarily have refrained from commenting on the issue, knowing fully well that the circumstances surrounding the execution of all the Non-Prosecution Agreements signed in 2011 are known to relevant agencies of government, including the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and the EFCC. “But, since the aforementioned publication hit the newsstands, I have been inundated with calls from genuinely concerned Nigerians, seeking to know what is responsible for these deliberate attempts to smear my name and bring me to public odium. “My answer is simply that the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation did not initiate these settlements. It was the EFCC, under the chairmanship of Mrs Farida Waziri, that initiated these settlements and nominated Mr Godwin Obla as the lawyer to represent their interest in the negotiations conducted under the auspices of the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. “It was when the negotiations were concluded to the satisfaction of all the parties that I signed on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria and Mr Emmanuel Akomoye (then, Secretary to the EFCC) signed on behalf of the EFCC. “The copies of the agreements are in the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and I believe with the EFCC as well,” the former Attorney-General of the Federation stated in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja. He noted that this was the process adopted in the settlements that were initiated by the EFCC in 2011, including those of Shell, Saipem, KBR, JGC, among others, which infracted Nigerian laws. Adoke assured Nigerians that during his tenure as Nigeria’s law officer, he conducted himself with utmost decorum and ensured the observance of due process, transparency and accountability. “I am, however, confident that in due time, the dark cloud that bestrode the horizon will disappear and Nigerians will become aware of the truth and be able to make value judgment on all these issues,” he concluded. Source: tribuneonlineng]]>