Ex-Justice Minister Adoke finally arrives Abuja over Malabu, Shell, Agip fraud case
Anietie Udobit,Abuja
Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Mohammed Bello Adoke, has arrived Nigeria.
Adoke’s flight touched down at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja at exactly 3:45 pm.
Former Federal Attorney was been repatriated by the Dubai authorities following Nigeria’s request.
He is being accompanied by INTERPOL officers on Emirates Airlines.
His aircraft had departed the Emirati commercial capital at about 11 am and expected to arrive in Nigeria at 3:40pm.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had in 2017 filed charges against Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited and 10 others, including Adoke and Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited.
The anti-corruption commission in the case marked FCT/HC/CR/124/17, filed charges bordering on fraudulent allocation of the Oil Prospecting Licence 245 and other forms of offences involving the sum of about $1.2 billion, forgery of bank documents, bribery and corruption.
The alleged $1.2 billion scam involved the transfer of the OPL 245 purportedly from Malabu Oil and Gas Limited to Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Co. Limited and Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited.
But Adoke in a motion, M/763/19, filed by his counsel, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, sought an order of the court striking out his name as a defendant in a case pending before the court.
The former minister hinged the prayer, among others, on the fact that he had secured a judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, against the Attorney-General of the Federation, representing the Federal Republic of Nigeria in which he was completely exculpated with respect to the facts and circumstances relating to the Malabu Oil scam.