OPL 245: EFCC Drops Adoke’s Name from Fresh Charges against Malabu

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has removed the name of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke in the fresh charges of money laundering filed against Malabu Oil and Gas Limited in the OPL 245 deal of 2011.

Malabu, alongside a businessman, Aliyu Abubakar and six other companies were arraigned on a 48-count charge before Justice Iyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The companies listed in the charge are: A-Group Construction Company Limited, Rocky Top Resources Limited, Mega Tech Engineering Limited, Novel Properties and Development Company Limited, and Carlin International Nigeria Limited.

Adoke had been charged along with the accused when the original case was filed in December 2016.

EFCC had filed two separate cases against Adoke on the OPL 245 deal — one on “criminal breach of trust” and the other on “money laundering”.

THISDAY gathered that Adoke’s name was dropped because of the April 31, 2018 judgment of Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who declared that the former AGF could not be held responsible for carrying out lawful presidential directives.

Justice Nyako had held that the former AGF could not held liable for obeying a presidential directive in the resolution of the OPL 245 dispute with Malabu Oil.

But when the case came up on Wednesday, Adoke’s name was conspicuously missing from the fresh 48-count charge filed against Malabu Oil.