EFCC re-arraigns ex-AGF, Adoke, six others over alleged roles in Malabu oil scandal

0
50
Mohammed Adoke, Nigeria's former attorney general, appears before a Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria's capital over financial crimes charges on January 22, 2020. - Nigeria's anti-graft agency said on January 21, 2020, it had filed corruption charges against a former justice minister over a $1.3 billion dollar oil scandal involving international majors Shell and Eni. Mohammed Adoke was arrested last month on arrival from the United Arab Emirates where he had been detained on a Nigerian warrant in connection with one of the West African state's biggest-ever corruption scandals. (Photo by KOLA SULAIMON / AFP) (Photo by KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images)
Mohammed Adoke, Nigeria’s former attorney general, appears before a Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital over financial crimes charges on January 22, 2020. – Nigeria’s anti-graft agency said on January 21, 2020, it had filed corruption charges against a former justice minister over a $1.3 billion dollar oil scandal involving international majors Shell and Eni. Mohammed Adoke was arrested last month on arrival from the United Arab Emirates where he had been detained on a Nigerian warrant in connection with one of the West African state’s biggest-ever corruption scandals. (Photo by KOLA SULAIMON / AFP) (Photo by KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

A former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke and an oil

magnate, Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar, were on Thursday re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial

Crimes Commission (EFCC) over their alleged complicity in the multi-billion dollar Malabu Oil

scandal.

They are on trial over a 42 -count criminal charges alongside others, before the High Court of the

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on the Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245, otherwise known as Malabu

Oil.

Others docked along with them include Rasky Gbinigie; Malabu Oil and Gas Limited; Nigeria Agip

Exploration Limited; Shell Nigeria Extra Deep Limited and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production

Company Limited.

Adoke and the other defendants were first arraigned in the case marked FCT/CR/151/2020 before

Justice Idris Kutigi, sitting at Gwagwalada, Abuja, by the anti-corruption commission on January 23,

2020.

However, at the resumed trial of the case on Thursday, the prosecuting counsel, Mr Bala Sanga, told

the court that the EFCC had filed an amended charge dated January 18, 2021, against the defendants

and urged the court to allow the charges be read to them to take a fresh plea.

Thereafter, the charges were read to the defendants who pleaded not guilty.

Following their not guilty plea, Sanga asked for a date for the commencement of trial.
Based on the agreement of parties, Justice Kutigi adjourned the case till April 14-15 for hearing.
The judge ordered Adoke, Aliyu and Gbinigie to remain on bail earlier granted them by the court.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here