AfriPulse
Abdulrasheed Maina, the former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, has made new claims about the scale of alleged corruption involving Abubakar Malami, saying authorities have barely scratched the surface.
Speaking while receiving the Rule of Law and Courage Award from the Garki branch of the Nigerian Bar Association in Abuja, Mr Maina said the assets currently linked to the former attorney-general and justice minister represent far less than a quarter of what was allegedly misappropriated.
“Malami allegedly stole a lot of funds. What the government has seen so far is not even one quarter,” Mr Maina said. “We can recover these funds from Malami. There is more than what has been seen. What is 270 billion?”
He commended the current administration for its handling of the matter, contrasting it with the previous government under the late President Muhammadu Buhari. “The government is doing the right thing. There must be accountability, transparency and the rule of law, which is what I see the government doing as against what the last.”
The Abu Dhabi meeting
Mr Maina recounted an incident when top government officials, including the late President Buhari, travelled to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to persuade him to return to Nigeria while he was abroad.
The delegation included Kemi Adeosun, former finance minister; Babagana Monguno, ex-national security adviser; and Mr Malami himself, according to Mr Maina’s account.
“They begged me, and I refused to come to Nigeria,” he said. “They went back to Nigeria and made my mother insist that I come back to Nigeria because Jonathan had told them that I recovered 1.63 trillion during his time; this can be ascertained by Okonjo-Iweala and 227 properties.”
Mr Maina claimed the officials’ interest stemmed from former President Goodluck Jonathan informing them of how he helped recover N1.63 trillion during Mr Jonathan’s tenure—a figure he said could be verified by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former finance minister.
“All these things happened during the last administration. I don’t believe this could happen in this administration,” Mr Maina added.
Malami’s ongoing trial
Mr Malami is currently standing trial alongside his son and wife over allegations of money laundering. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned them, and they were subsequently remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
On 7 January, a federal high court in Abuja granted Mr Malami bail in the sum of N500 million.
Oluwatosin Ogunjuyigbe
Oluwatosin Ogunjuyigbe is a writer and journalist who covers business, finance, technology, and the changing forces shaping Nigeria’s economy. He focuses on turning complex ideas into clear, compelling stories.
Source: Businessday.ng | Read the Full Story…
