I did not receive N2b of recovered loot from CBN – Malami counters Reps panel

ATTORNEY-GENERAL of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) has dismissed reports suggesting that N2 billion was paid to his office from recovered funds.

Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, and Minister of Justice, Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, made this known in a statement yesterday.

According to the statement, prior to the repatriation of all the recovered assets, Nigeria and relevant nations signed a memorandum of understanding as to what the monies will be put to, “and the government has been working in compliance with all the provisions of multi-national agreements reached”.

The Minister further said it was on the basis of the application of the said funds in line with the agreements that Nigeria earned a reputation among the international committee of nations which translated into further recoveries.

The Federal Government has a designated account at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for all recovered assets, said Malami, adding that neither he as a person nor as Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, has in any way received any funds from the recovered assets.

Malami, therefore, challenged any person who has any evidence of such payments to either him or his office to come out publicly with proofs.

Recall that a House of Representatives panel claimed that the Central Bank (CBN) illegally paid N2 billion to Malami.

At its sitting on Tuesday, the house ad hoc committee probing the status of recovered loot queried Malami on the funds which they said they never approved as a budgetary allocation.

The lawmakers cited a letter from the CBN which indicated that the apex bank directed the release of the funds following a request made for the money to be used to prosecute terror suspects.

They also challenged the Minister of Justice for allegedly requesting payment of approved solicitors’ fees from the recovered assets, a claim which Malami also denied.