The former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, has insisted that his interactions with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were strictly limited to clarifications on an alleged duplication in the recovery of Abacha loot, not terrorism. Malami stated that his engagement with the anti-graft agency had nothing to do with terrorism financing, money laundering, or the ownership of multiple bank accounts. In a statement issued by his media office, Malami dismissed the circulating allegations as false, misleading, and baseless, emphasizing that no security, intelligence, or law-enforcement agency in Nigeria or abroad has ever accused, investigated, or questioned him over these issues. He stressed that the EFCC invited him to clarify issues concerning the $310 million Abacha loot recovered during the Muhammadu Buhari administration. Malami explained that the EFCC reviewed two assumptions - alleged abuse of office and alleged money laundering - but found no grounds to proceed after he provided detailed explanations. He comprehensively demonstrated to the EFCC that no duplication occurred because the funds were not lodged into the Federation Account before 2016. He further pointed to Swiss lawyer Enrico Monfrini’s 2016 request for re-engagement as proof that the earlier recovery process had not been concluded. Malami said the Buhari administration rejected Monfrini’s proposed $5 million upfront fee and success fee of up to 40 per cent, opting instead for Nigerian lawyers at a capped 5 per cent cost, which saved the country billions of naira. He added that different tranches of Abacha loot were recovered at separate times and deployed to the National Social Investment Programme under World Bank monitoring, while the $321 million returned from Jersey in 2020 was used for major infrastructure projects. Malami argued that attempts to conflate separate recoveries or portray them as duplicated were deliberately misleading. He addressed reports citing a retired military officer who accused him of terrorism financing, clarifying that the officer never made such accusations and that sensational reporting overshadowed his clarification. Malami maintained his contribution to Nigeria’s anti-corruption and anti-terror financing framework, including establishing the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and pushing for the 2022 AML/CFT laws that helped Nigeria exit the FATF grey list. He urged Nigerians to disregard coordinated smear campaigns, expressing confidence that truth will prevail over political witch-hunt, misinformation, and intimidation. PUNCH Online reported that the EFCC detained Malami for not meeting bail conditions, with an EFCC official confirming his custody until requirements are fulfilled. Another source noted multiple offences under investigation, including money laundering, abuse of office, and terrorism financing, with 18 different offences being examined.
