The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Abubakar Malami has appeared before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee Investigating the Alleged Loss of Over $2.4 Billion in Revenue from the Illegal Sale of 48 Million Barrels of Crude Oil Export in 2015 Including Crude Oil Export From 2014 Till Date.
He said that the illegal sale of 48 million barrels of Crude oil export in 2015 to China being probed by the House Ad-hoc committee is baseless and lacks merit and sustenance.
Mr. Malami who made the disclosure in Abuja while appearing before the House Committee also said there was no detailed information on the allegation by the whistleblower hence no further investigation was carried out by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
He alleged that the office of the Attorney General of the Federation had filed a criminal suit against the individuals who purportedly raised the allegations being investigated by the Ad-hoc Committee.
According to him, the Individuals had attempted to defraud Federal Government under the guise that the alleged crude oil stolen in China has been recovered.
While noting that the ongoing investigation initiated by the House was unconstitutional and subjudice, he argued that the prosecution of the petitioners which started in 2019 suffered a setback as a result of a series of adjournments caused by the absence of the accused persons.
“Let me state on record and for the benefit of Nigerians and the committee that the allegations relating to the 48 million barrels are baseless. The allegation is unfounded. It lacks merit and indeed substance. The allegation in its own right is devoid of any reasonable ground pointing to a material suspicion cogent enough to invoke the constitutional oversight of the Committee. Why do I say so? Sometimes in 2016 allegations were rife and hyped in social media. There were allegations of the existence of stolen 48 million barrels of Nigerian crude in China said to have been valued at 2.4 billion.
President Muhammadu Buhari informally requested the attorney-general, making reference to my humble person, Mele Kyari, Lawal Daura, former DG of DSS; and late Abba Kyari; to look into it and advise. But unfortunately, for there to be a reasonable ground for suspicion, at least, you require certain basic facts. If you’re talking of a product, you cannot establish the substance relating thereto, without confirming the origin of the purported product in China. If you talk about a product in China. Is it of Nigerian origin? That can be ascertained by samples and specifications. Is it Bonny Light for example, which you know emanates from Nigeria or what is it?
“The basic details of the existence of the product and connecting it to Nigeria were not there at all. If you are talking of a product, the vessel perhaps that has taken it, what are the particulars and details of the vessel? There were not available at our disposal at all.
“Which authority is it that has taken custody of the product? There was no information at all. So the issue is simple. There were no reasonable grounds for suspicion of the fact that the purported oil product either exists in spirit or in fact or indeed exists in China — and it is in no way connected to Nigeria. And all efforts on our part to get details have proven abortive.
“So, it was a committee that was dead on arrival because it has not been formally constituted and then our informal findings do not suggest or provide a piece of information that could support the…
“So, we could not establish the substance in the allegation because detailed information to confirm the existence and origin of the shipment such as the sample of the oil, vessel involved loading point, and location of the crude in China were not provided
“So, we reported to the president that we were unable to confirm the veracity of the allegation hence no further action was taken by my office.”
He further disclosed that the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation was instrumental in the recovery of various sums of funds that were deposited in the Asset Recovery Account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
While responding to a question on the recovered funds, payment and disbursement, the minister responded that the Ministry of Finance was the coordinator of the whistle-blower policy and all payments to Whistleblowers are made by the Federal Ministry of Finance, budget and national planning.
“It should be noted that whistleblowing thrives on confidentiality and protection of information. Therefore, disclosure of the details of whistle-blowers at a public hearing breaches the confidentiality provision to which the office of the attorney general was committed to on the account of personal security and national security. So, arising from that consideration, I have taken pains to develop information taking into consideration the confidentiality element of it but providing same for the consideration of the committee exclusively,” Mr. Malami said.
When further inquiries by the House ad-hoc committee were made, the Attorney General of the Federation admitted that his office received a letter from the whistleblower on the alleged illegal sale of 48 million barrels of crude oil in 2015.
The committee however expressed concern on why stolen funds recovered are deposited in the Asset recovery account when it is stated that all funds recovered shall be in the Federation account but the Attorney General gave reasons for such.
The Presiding Chairman of the Committee, Isiaka Ibrahim however urged the Minister to provide relevant documents before the panel on its next hearing to prove his submissions.
Recall that the House ad-hoc committee had written to the minister about three times requesting his appearance at the investigative hearing before his final compliance.
The panel however adjourned its hearing to next Tuesday to enable other invited stakeholders to appear before it with relevant documents.
Dominica Nwabufo
