Governors’ objection to $418m Paris Club refund mere noise, says Malami
The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) yesterday described the objections by governors over the $418milion Paris Club refund as “noise”.
According to him, the complaints are unjustified and are “a clear case of absence of defense.”
He believes the controversies trailing the payment of consultants hired by the governors were needless.
Malami spoke at the weekly ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communication Team.
He blamed the controversy on the change of leadership by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).
Malami said: “The liability or judgment-debts related to Paris Club was created by the Governor’s Forum in their own right.
“How do I mean? The Governor’s Forum comprising of all the governors sat down and agreed on the engagement of consultants to provide certain services for them relating to the recovery of the Paris Club fund.
“When eventually successes were recorded, the governors collectively and individually presented a request to the Federal Government for the refund.
“And among the components of the claim presented for the consideration of the Federal Government was a component related to the payment of these consultants that now constitute the subject of contention.
“And what happened in court? They submitted to consent judgment. They asked and urged the court to allow them to settle out of court.
“The court granted them an opportunity to settle. They committed the terms of settlement in writing, signed, agreeing and conceding that such payments be made to the consultants.
“Thereafter, the Federal Government was requested to comply with the judgment and effect payment. The President passed all the requests of the governors to the Office of the Attorney General for consideration.
“It was my opinion, that the same treatment we meted to P&ID, that we should subject the consent judgment to an investigation by the agencies of the government. Mr. President approved.
“I directed the EFCC and DSS to look into these claims. These agencies reported and concluded that there are no problems associated with it.
“We took further steps after receiving these reports from the EFCC, among others, to demand for indemnity from the governors…
“The governors, individually and collectively, provided the desired indemnity to the Office of the Attorney-General, conceding, agreeing and submitting, that the payment should be made.
“That was the basis upon which we eventually took a decision by advising the President that the payment should be made and then along the line, there was a change of leadership of the Governors’ Forum.
“All the noise making that is now being generated arising from the Governors’ Forum is not only unjustified but indeed, a clear case of absence of defence.”
Malami said it was the new NGF leadership that objected to the previous agreement.
“The judgment was obtained long before I came into office, long before the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“It was a product of their own doing and they had submitted to a judicial proceeding. Judgment was entered against them.
“They committed to the payment of the money. They, on their own, indeed, effected part payment.
“I closed my case and I will not like to answer any further questions on that.”
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