LAGOS/Nigeria: The Human and Environmental Development Agenda Resource Centre (HEDA) has submitted a fresh petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), urging the commission to investigate additional allegations of corruption, financial mismanagement and abuse of office against former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
The petition, signed by HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, and addressed to the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, said the new submission builds on an earlier petition filed on September 11, 2023. HEDA said the latest request is supported by fresh audit reports, investigative findings and legislative probes allegedly linked to Malami’s tenure at the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Suraju said the petition was filed in the public interest and as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign. He cited an audit report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation which allegedly indicted the Ministry of Justice under Malami for the mismanagement of ₦113.2 million in 2019, with expenditures reportedly lacking proper documentation and due process.
HEDA further referenced another audit report which alleged that the ministry spent billions of naira without due process in 2017, including the payment of about ₦10.4 billion as judgment debts without adequate oversight following the dissolution of the statutory committee responsible for vetting such payments. The report also alleged that ₦32.5 million was paid as foreign travel allowances without mandatory approvals, while 68 payment vouchers totalling ₦71.19 billion were unavailable for audit verification.
The petition also drew attention to an investigation by the Senate Public Accounts Committee into an alleged ₦2.2 billion collected by the Ministry of Justice from Service Wide Votes between 2017 and 2021, which lawmakers reportedly found to be poorly accounted for, with missing records and unexplained expenditures.
In addition, HEDA raised concerns over the alleged expenditure of ₦8 billion on prison decongestion programmes, which it said lacked transparency, accountability and verifiable outcomes.
The organisation also accused Malami of compromising the enforcement of a 2018 Supreme Court judgment on the recovery of outstanding revenues under the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract Act, a ruling government consultants estimate could yield over $55 billion to the Federation Account as of 2018.
HEDA argued that the allegations, taken together, disclose prima facie violations of several laws, including the EFCC Act, the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, the Public Procurement Act, the Fiscal Responsibility Act and Nigeria’s Financial Regulations.
The group urged the EFCC to expand its ongoing investigations to cover the fresh allegations, investigate all persons involved, recover any misappropriated public funds and prosecute anyone found culpable.
