The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), yesterday, expressed readiness to testify before the Justice Ayo Salami-led presidential panel investigating alleged financial infractions against suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.
Malami was reacting to a letter by Magu requesting the probe panel to summon him to appear and give evidence on some of the allegations.
The AGF, who disclosed this during an interview on Arise TV said he had nothing to hide from the public.
“So, if indeed the Ayo Salami panel invites Abubakar Malami as a person or the AGF in the person of Abubakar Malami for any testimony, for any clarification, for examination or cross-examination for that matter, Abubakar Malami will wholeheartedly, gladly within the spirit and context of the rule of law be there to testify, be there to be cross-examined, be there to be examined within the context of the rule of law.
“Our position as a government is to be submissive to the rule of law, and the rule of law component of it requires that when we are called upon to clarify issues, when we are called upon to be examined, when we are called upon to be cross-examined, Abubakar Malami will be there and will gladly cooperate with the inquiry institution and that indeed was an attribute of the government that translated to the victory we are seeing today arising from P&ID.
“Abubakar Malami has along the line, within the chain of the arbitral process, submitted to uncountable invitations, responded to uncountable requests for clarification of issues and indeed executed uncountable witness statements for the purpose of putting the record straight and the case of Salami will certainly not be an exception.”
Magu, had asked the panel probing him to summon Malami to appear before it. He anchored his request on the constitutional principles of fair hearing as provided under section 36 of the amended document.
The AGF had in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, recommended the sack of Magu for alleged infractions in office.
Malami, in a memorandum to the president, anchored his recommendation on several grounds “raging from diversion of recovered loot to insubordination and misconduct.”
In two separate letters by his counsel, Mr. Wahab Shittu, Magu argued that it was pertinent and necessary for the AGF whose petition formed the basis of his investigation by the panel to be invited to tender documents.
The letters dated August 4, 2020 also prayed the panel to recall “several witnesses who appeared and testified before this judicial commission of inquiry at the time” he “was not allowed to participate in the proceedings and cross-examine such witnesses.”
